Beyond the Glass
by nidaluver
Summary: Kagome hasn't been to the fuedal era in 4 1/2 years. L is worried that his time has finally come. When these two pair up, what can they do to save each other from misery? L X Kagome
1. Chapter 1

*****warning, this fanfiction contains spoilers for both Inuyasha and Death Note. You have been warned*****

I was reading some Death Note-Inuyasha crossovers and this spawned. Expect about ten chapters. I decided to write something that wasn't super long so I'd actually finish it. The idea of a Kagome X L pairing had never occurred to me before, but now that it has, I'm excited! I can't wait to get started! Oh, yeah. I should probably tell you that this might not have a happy ending, because if it pans out properly, I'll get to write a sequel. My goal is to make your cry – I will probably fail miserably. This is an emotional roller coaster, or at least, that's what I'm aiming for.

Note** what Inuyasha stuff I know is from the manga. I read it. All of it, and it's been a while so I've forgotten a lot of things, but I know what I need to to write this. No worries. ^.^' Concerning Death Note, I know more than any sane person should. I'm a fangirl to the core...BEWARE!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha or Death Note, but I am a huge fan of both, especially L. And Sesshy. But mostly L. I looooooove L.

**Beyond the Glass of Reality**

"_The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be repaired."_

_-_Southey.

***

"So where should I start?" Kagome asked, eying the stack of notes compiled before her. She was sitting in her apartment, the littered surface of her desk glaring her in the face, as if in challenge. She was sitting stiffly in a straight backed, wooden chair in nothing but her plaid pajamas. Her friend, Yuri, leaned over Kagome as their shadows casted blackly over the white walls behind them. The desk lamp gleamed against the contents of the room, tinting them with yellow. Kagome squinted as her eyes itched. Whether it be fatigue or irritation from the light, the urge to rub them was still distracting. She sighed tiredly.

"Start here, in Section A, then skip to Section C. Come back to B when you're done. It's faster that way, and it makes more sense. I don't know what those fools were thinking when they wrote that text book," Yuri was saying.

Kagome nodded and squinted at the words at the top of one of the notebook pages. It read: "Trigonometric Ratios" in Yuri's neat handwriting. Kagome then glanced over to her own notes and winced at her scrawling letters and numbers. They were wild and all over the place, much like a certain red-cloaked hanyou she used to know...

_Stop it, _Kagome snapped inwardly. _Can't you go one hour without thinking about that?_ She couldn't. Four and a half years away from the feudal era had taught her that. She had tried countless times to go back, to leap through the well and into the world she loved, but the well no longer activated for her passage. It remained a simple well, dry and rotting. One day, it might cease to exist altogether. Kagome grimaced at the thought. Beyond the well lay her heart, and Inuyasha, her heart's keeper. She would never stop trying to return.

"Kagome, is something wrong?" Yuri interrupted her thoughts. "I know it's hard, but..."

Kagome glanced up and blinked at Yuri, who was staring at her with eyes filled to the brim with genuine concern. Thinking of Sango, she smiled warmly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, thanks for coming over to help me. I know how busy you are nowadays."

"No problem," Yuri shrugged the gratitude aside. "I always felt bad for not helping you out more in high school when you were sick so much. Thinking of it now, I feel terrible. You really had to struggle and fight to keep your grades at passing levels. I wasn't a good friend back then, so I want to make up for it now."

Kagome almost gaped at Yuri. She wanted to help... "Thank you, Yuri," Kagome whispered. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you care so much." She felt her eyes watering and had to fight the tears that were threatening to rain from her eyes. Kagome was so used to helping people that when help was offered to her in kind, she was always surprised and touched by it. After all, she understood the value of a kind act more than anyone.

"Aw, Kagome. You don't realize how amazing you are sometimes, never stepping back when others are in need. You always rush in head first. It's a crazy, but admirable trait. I wish I was more like you. If I was, then you might be in a better situation now."

Kagome blinked. Her eyes cleared. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Yuri stammered and blushed, "I-I can see how much you're struggling now. It's all because you were absent so much in high school. Your grades were less than average and you didn't get the scholarships that would have payed for your college classes. Now you work two jobs, attend classes, and are always stressing over things. You don't have a boyfriend, or a hobby, or many friends. All you've really got is me and Souta, but he never visits anymore because of how busy he is. I feel partially responsible.."

Kagome stared awestruck at her friend. How long had Yuri been feeling this way? Suddenly bedraggled, Kagome piped up, "Yuri, you've been a great friend to me, and you don't owe me anything! Everything that has happened to me is weight on my shoulders, not yours. It's my fault that I'm like this!"

With a horrified expression, Yuri gaped at Kagome, "You don't think...that you're responsible for your mother's and your grandfather's deaths...do you?"

"No! That was an accident!" Kagome declared hastily. "I'm responsible for everything _else _that's happened."

Yuri sighed with relief and plopped down in her own chair. She put her elbows on her legs, while leaning forward, and propped her head in her hands. As she looked in the the lamplight, Yuri said, "You're so unselfish, Kagome."

Kagome frowned at this announcement, and would have denied it vehemently if anyone but her best friend had said it. Instead, she hissed softly, "No."

"No?" Yuri pursed her lips and asked, "Why?"

Kagome bit her lip and fiddled nervously with her number two pencil as she explained, "I was always depressed back then, because I never got what I wanted no matter how hard I tried. All I could think about were the things I wanted to have – not only the important things, but the unimportant ones, too. Those things that I never deserved are the very ones that I really wish for today, but deep down I know that I can't have them. Those feelings are in vain. Selfish. Deplorable."

Yuri sighed and sat up in her chair. She sat her hands in her lap as she turned to Kagome and said, "You're a good person, Kagome-chan."

Kagome smiled at the addition to her name, one that had been dropped between the two girls years ago, when they had become college roommates. "So are you, Yuri. Now," Kagome grinned enthusiastically, "let's finish this up before dawn, okay?"

Yuri rolled her eyes at Kagome's excited tone and leaned forward. "Okay, so this one's pretty simple..."

***

Kagome stood by her bedside window and peered through the pink drapes to stare at the world beyond the glass windowpane. There was a small, grassy courtyard separating the male and female dorms. The white moon hung in the sky like a gleaming white pearl above the monotonous buildings.

Kagome wasn't staring at the moon, however, she was staring at something further away than the world beyond her dorm room. As the full moon's light draped across the nightworld caressingly, her mind wandered to that place between awake and asleep, where dreams of her past dwelled, and as Yuri snored violently in the twin-sized bed on the other side of the room, Kagome brushed a lone tear off of her pale cheek and smiled sadly into the night.

***

(for those of you who haven't seen the DN episode _Silence_,

this might not make sense to you)

"Ryuuzaki, are you okay in there?" Light's voice was hushed as he asked the question, a shred of concern mixed in with his usual tone. He had rapped lightly on the detective's door before making his predetermined inquiry.

On other opposite side of the door, L lay sprawled across a blue sofa with his feet hanging off the end. On the end table next to the couch lay the Death Note. The detective was worrying his bottom lip, and his eyes were wide with a combination of fear and annoyance as he contemplated the thing's existence and what it meant for him.

His clothes were still soaked from he and Light's little adventure in the rain. They were supposed to go straight back to the main investigation room afterwards, where the investigation team would discuss the Death Note's rules and implications. L was too fidgety though. He had read the rules repeatedly, until finally he had slapped the cursed thing on the table and sprawled across the sofa to think.

He knew this day would come. Light's reactions earlier had been enough to confirm it – the question the teen had so cleverly brushed off on the roof, the creepy foot massage that Light hadn't denied himself the pleasure of. Everything about him now screamed "Kira". Why couldn't the others see it? _They are compromised,_ L told himself, _and simply not willing to accept the truth._ He sighed unhappily as he heard Light growl in frustration outside of his door.

"Open this door Ryuuzaki!" Light Yagami yelled mightily.

L sat up and grimaced. It was all coming to an end for him...today. He shuddered. No, not today. It wouldn't have to be _today_. He had thought he was ready, but he had been lying to himself. L stood up, hunched over as usual, and made his way to the door Light so insistently pounded on. In a flash he unlocked it and opened it so that he could see the agitated teenager on the other side.

"It's about time," Light snapped, not bothering to hide his anger.

"Tomorrow," L said suddenly, and Light gave him a funny look.

"What?"

"Tomorrow," L repeated. "We'll talk about the notebook in the morning. Tell the team that....that I am conducting secret tests on it. I'll share the results with everyone come morning. 9 a.m." The detective slammed the door in his friend's face. There. He'd done it. L had stated his own time of death, or at least a time very close to it.

He heard Light sigh and the boy's footsteps echoing lightly as he walked to the elevator at the other end of the hall. L scratched his head and slumped his way back to the sofa. He sat on it in a crouch and shoved his thumb against his pale lips. _ Tomorrow, Light Yagami is going to kill me, _L thought unhappily. _Kira is going to win. _No, no, no. That was not an acceptable train of thought. Better to think of it like this: _Tomorrow, Kira is going to kill me, but he is not going to win, because he is evil. I am going to die, but Kira is still going to lose. Why? Because I'm going to sick my successors on him. Yes, Mello and Near are going to catch Kira._

Good for them.

L's frown deepened. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. The chains of fate would still catch up to Light in the end, and it would be L's doing, but he wouldn't be around to enjoy the spoils of victory. He wouldn't be able to stare Light Yagami in the face and say, "It looks like I win, Kira. _I _am justice, and _you, _Light Yagami,are evil."

L drew his thumb away from his mouth and stared at nothing. _ Light isn't just Kira_, he reminded himself. _He is also my only friend. I want to defeat him, to teach him a lesson, but I don't want him to die._

Indecisive, L stood up and walked to the nearest window with his hands tucked into the pockets of his baggy jeans. The window was large, covering the entire expanse of one side of the building, and came complete with a considerable view, considering the fact that it was, in fact, on the top floor of the Kira investigation headquarters.

L looked over the city, but didn't see the lights of the world below or the silvery moon hanging like a crystal ornament in the night sky. All he saw were the things he desired: happiness, freedom, contentment, and a time when things were simpler. Once he had stood there long enough, he decided that he couldn't simply watch the things he wanted anymore. He had to reach for them.

Suddenly resolved, he approached the humming laptop sitting on a glass table. He pressed a key and spoke into the mike sitting next to it.

"Watari, I'm going out."


	2. Chapter 2

*****this fanfiction contains spoilers for both Death Note and Inuyasha. You have been warned*****

AN:// Welcome to chapter two of _Beyond the Glass_! Please, for this chapter assume that L and Kagome are residing in the same area of Japan. Location is the one thing that I'm uncertain about. I hope you can forgive this little flaw. You'll notice I'm not very specific about it. ^^'

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Death Note, Inuyasha, or any of the respective characters from either story. Thank you.

**Priestess and Detective**

"_Friendship is the highest degree of perfection in society."_

_-_Montaigne

***

Kagome knew this was one of her worst ideas. It had been so late already, nearly two in the morning, and yet she had resolved herself to walk across town in the middle of the night to visit her family's old shrine. Perhaps nostalgia compelled her to do this or a sense of homesickness. Either way, she knew what she would find at the end of her journey, and it wasn't the happiness she so longed for.

As she splashed her way through the dirty puddles created from the rainstorm that had left in its wake a gleaming moon and a clear sky full of twinkling stars, Kagome wondered if she was a little mad. By returning to the shrine, she would gain nothing but a renewed state of depression and a splash of colorful memories that would overwhelm her very senses and leave her feeling empty and alone. She had to wonder if that was what she really wanted.

She knew it wasn't so.

Kagome rounded a corner and slowed her pace. Her heart was pounding in her ears. _What am I doing? _she asked herself, watching as her feet rose and fell against the damp pavement. _At this rate, I'll end up suicidal. I can't...do this anymore._ She stopped walking. _But..._

Sorrow pressed down on her shoulders. Kagome winced as the pain of her mother's and grandfather's deaths swallowed her, as her brother's nearly complete absence in her life reminded her of how alone she was, and the faces of her friends in the feudal era and Inuyasha filled her thoughts with color. _Inuyasha... _in the end, he was her center, the one she cared most about. After defeating Naraku and leaving the feudal era, Kagome had felt hollow inside, and aching with the need for the hanyou. Now it all rushed back to her, and made it feel as if it had been the very first day she had returned to the modern era. Due to her anguish, she had yet to notice the man standing before her, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Ah...excuse me?" He said in a deep monotone.

Kagome unleashed a sob and tried to hide shamefully behind the cover of her dark hair.

L stared at the young woman, completely at a loss for what to do in such a situation. He hadn't expected to see anyone on the streets this late. He had just been walking along, buried in his thoughts about Light and the Kira investigation, when he had stumbled upon her, almost literally. He had barely stopped himself from running into the girl, who was just...standing in the street with tears pouring down her face and wearing a devastated expression. Her whole demeanor had captured him. After all, he wasn't like Kira. He couldn't ignore the people that he thought were inferior to him. He did admittedly have a small superiority complex, but that was only because he was so much more intelligent than the general population. It was hard not to feel superior.

Bravely, L reached forward and used a finger to lift her chin. Her hair fell back from her face and he looked down into her soft brown eyes that were red and puffy from crying. Something stirred in his gut when his black orbs met hers, but he ignored the feeling. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kagome was in shock as she stared into the man's eyes. He was obviously a few years older than her, and one of the strangest people she'd ever seen in the modern era. He slouched oddly, had huge black eyes, wild black hair, and pale skin. He also wore a white, long-sleeved shirt. Looking up at him, she couldn't see below his shoulders, but she was surprised to feel such a warmth growing within her in his presence. She could hardly believe her own reaction. Gently pulling away, she observed him more thoroughly, noting the bags under his eyes, baggy jeans soaked up to the knees, and – to her dismay – bare feet.

Unthinkingly, she asked, "Who are you? Some sort of hobo?"

L hid a grimace by pressing a thumb to his lips. After seeing this, Kagome's eyes widened a little. She apparently found his presence a little unusual. Luckily, the detective was used to this.

"I can assure you that I am not a homeless man," he informed her, scratching one of his legs with a foot. "My name is Ryuga. I was just walking along and was a bit concerned to see a crying girl standing in the middle of the sidewalk. It's actually rather late, you know."

Kagome blushed and wiped the evidence of her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I'm fine." She smiled lackadaisically and attempted to walk around him, but L stepped in her way.

"It's not a good idea for you to be walking alone at night," he told her quickly. L was astounded by his own actions. He wasn't usually quite so forward with people when it wasn't work related. Truthfully, he knew that he was just desperate for polite company, someone who wasn't involved in the Kira investigation, during what would be the last night of his life.

"Please, move," Kagome pleaded desperately, her eyes filling again. "I just need to go somewhere, then I'll go straight home. Okay, stranger?"

"Call me Ryuga," L said flatly. "And I'm not trying to be misleading. I know I look suspicious, but..." he lowered his eyes, and for once allowed some true emotion show on his face, "I wanted to be near someone tonight – anyone. You see, I'm going to die tomorrow."

Kagome paused. He was...what? What?! "You are..." She stared at this man, really took in his appearance, and didn't know what to think. He could be a murderer, a homicidal lunatic, for all she knew, and yet... She couldn't believe that just anyone could look that miserable, and Kagome knew the signs better than anyone. She balled her fists at her side and trembled slightly. Homicidal lunatic or hobo, what did it matter? Kagome wasn't happy, hadn't been for such a long, long time. If she was killed tonight, would it really be any worse than living on with this pain?

Suicidal? Maybe...

"My name is Kagome, and I...I'm alone," she whispered in defeat.

L inhaled sharply, surprised by her response, and looked deeply into her shining eyes. He knew, the way he knew when Light had denied being Kira when he was confined, that she was telling the truth. Her honesty only made the detective better perceive the true depth of his own misery, reminded him that tomorrow, he would lose everything from his own life, to his career, to his best friend...

But her words awakened something within him, and he found himself blinking several times in realization. She was alone...

"Me...too," he whispered raspingly.

And then she smiled warmly, and L discovered a whole new world of feeling as he smiled meekly in return.

"Do you want to walk with me?" Kagome inquired. "I'm going to my childhood home, just to look...wanna come?"

L nodded. "Yes, I-I do."

"Then, um, walk with me?" Kagome looked embarrassedly away from him and started walking again. Her expression faded into a blank look as he came to walk beside her, their footsteps echoing together in unison off of the buildings surrounding them. The streetlights lit the way...

Kagome smiled at that thought. "Go towards the light" is what everyone always said in movies and books. In a way, they were. She and...Ryuga, followed the trail of light's to the old, abandoned shrine house.

Kagome stopped walking when they stood before the main building of her beloved childhood home. She stared at it for a long time, and started talking without meaning to, "I lived here my whole life," she told her companion softly. "I know every little nook and cranny, every creaky floorboard, every small detail of his place, both inside and out. My father died when I was still a baby, but I stayed here with my mother, grandfather, and my little brother. During high school, I started spending a lot of time away from here. It wasn't bad or anything. I was out exploring, doing things I enjoyed with people that I loved. I bounced between two worlds for a long while. Finally, the time came when my happiness ended."

L didn't comment. He was a bit surprised by Kagome's sudden outburst, but didn't want her to stop talking. He felt strangely peaceful in the presence of this trusting stranger.

She eventually continued, "I made a big decision in the end, and decided to stay here. Well, I guess you could say that I didn't have that much of a choice, but I thought I would get to go back. There was someone I wanted to go back and see...someone I loved more than anything in any world, but my dreams were misplaced. One year passed, then two, and my hope was rapidly dissolving. I graduated from high school, and I didn't do well because of my periodic absences. The tables turned completely when my family got into a car accident. We were on our way to a festival on the other side of town. My brother and I survived, but my mother and grandfather didn't. It was a head-on collision, and they were in the front seats of the car. There was no chance..." Kagome sighed. "After that, Souta was sent off to live with my uncle, but I decided to go to college. I have two jobs, and I'm in debt. I won't last another quarter, because my grades are too low. I don't have time to study. Tonight I wanted to come here. I don't know what I was hoping for, but I...I just felt like it was the right thing to do."

Kagome's throat was dry as she turned away from the main house and walked in the direction it faced. She passed the ancient tree, and proceeded to the well house. L followed her, curious as to her destination. He watched in silence as she reached forward and slid the wooden door open, then stepped forward to follow her as she took the stairs down into the darkness below. Cautiously, the detective trailed after her.

She had stopped at the edge of the well, a gaping mouth of darkness that was even more foreboding than the dusty atmosphere of the well house itself. L came to stand next to her and, once his eye's adjusted, stared into the pit of the empty well, having no idea that it possessed the power to traverse time. Without warning, he began to tell her his own story, heavily edited, but he couldn't seem to stop the words from flowing from his mouth.

"I was an orphan. I lived on the streets for years in a city where I was ignored. I knew nothing of my background but my name. When I was four, a man took me in. He brought me to a place where my skills were put to good use. For years I was trained to be something great, and when I was ready, I did become an important person. The years, however, have made me tired, and as I much as I love doing what I do, I have been alone for my entire life. I have no idea who I could have been, or who my family was, and the first friend I have ever had, I suspect – no, I _know_ he is my greatest enemy, and I fear that he will be my undoing. He will take my life tomorrow, and I realize that I am selfish for wanting so much, but I want to live, and I want to prove who he is without getting him killed. My situation is hopeless."

Listening attentively, Kagome realized that she pitied this poor man. He was undoubtedly telling the truth. She realized that now, and felt the need to comfort, but understood that she shouldn't. He was a complete stranger, and she couldn't even help herself. Slumping marginally, Kagome sighed. They were in empathy with each other.

"I'm sorry," she said dryly.

"I am for you as well," L added.

"Want to get some coffee or something?"

"Sure," L replied. After all, if he was going to die tomorrow, he should have something sweet first, right?

"Come on," Kagome said, leading him out of the well house. "There's a cafe up the road. It's open all night." Even as she spoke, L could hear the pain engulfed in her voice, and he wished he could do something to help.

But neither of them could do anything. They were stuck.

The priestess and the detective, both with secrets that others couldn't fathom, and depths of pain that no one else could bear.

AN: It seems that we're all vulnerable in times of desperation. Review please! 3


	3. Chapter 3

*****spoilers for Death Note and Inuyasha are in this fanfic. You have been warned*****

AN:// Alright, so I'm having fun writing this like you wouldn't believe! XD It's been so long since I've gotten into something so much! A lot of my inspiration comes from this wonderful piece of chocolate cake with butter cream icing that I'm eating right now. My mother is the best cook in the universe!! Okay, well onward! -and remember to review, please! ^^' Oh yeah...I totally dropped all honorifics just because I felt like it.

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own Death Note or Inuyasha. It's tragic, I know.

**A New Plan**

"_The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together."_

_-_Saadi.

***

They sat across from each other at a small table in the cafe. Kagome timidly sipped at her steaming cappuccino whilst watching L with amusement. She was astounded by his odd habits. He sat with his legs pulled up to his chest in his chair, and held his fork with his index finger and thumb while eating a huge slice of strawberry cheesecake. After the heavy moments the two had shared earlier in the shrine, the mood was suddenly very light.

Kagome smirked at L. "Ryuga, you're so weird." L almost found himself frowning, until Kagome added, "But...you are very sweet."

He beamed like child at Christmas time. Kagome swallowed a giggle.

"We ought to get to know each other better," L suggested. "After all, we've got the 'secret past' thing out of the way already."

"About that," Kagome suddenly said, "why do you think your friend is going to kill you?"

L faltered and looked down at his sweet dessert. "I-I can't give you specific details."

"Why not?" Kagome asked, her tone defensive. "I've basically told you my deepest darkest secrets."

"In some aspects," L agreed, "but neither of us was very specific with the details. The gist we each provided lacked names, faces, places, specific events..."

Kagome smiled. "I get what you mean. There are also things I can't tell you about my past."

That got the detective's attention. "Really?" He took a bite out of his cake and spoke around a mouthful of food, his eyes huge with curiosity, "Like what?"

Kagome grimaced. "I thought we weren't going to talk about these things, Ryuga."

He shrugged. "If I tell you a bit more, will you tell me more about yourself?"

Kagome suddenly realized that her newly acquired "friend" was an insanely curious person. As she stared into the depths of his overly large, dark eyes, she felt her defenses crumble. "Fine, but you go first."

"Agreed," L replied. He dropped his fork onto his plate. It clanged loudly. Then he sat his hands on his knees and looked thoughtful as he said nervously and quietly, "I am a detective working on a murder investigation. For my own safety, I had to arrange it so that I would always be close to my greatest suspect. However, I didn't expect to get so attached to him. I have no evidence to prove that he is the murderer, but I can tell by his actions and gestures that he is. Other people's judgments are compromised because their leader, someone working with me, is the father of the suspect. I fear that my friend now has the option to have me killed. I think that if I really put my mind to it, I could find a way to make this all backfire on him. However, this would mean that he would have to be executed, and I don't want to be responsible for my only friend's death. He may be willing to sacrifice my life, but I am unwilling to do the same with his. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to dwell on the situation, so there's nothing to be said for it. I am going to die in the morning."

"That's ridiculous," Kagome implied sternly. "He's not your friend if he's willing to kill you or if he was a killer to begin with."

"Have you ever known anyone like that?"

"I-" Kagome stopped and frowned. How many "killers" did she know? Inuyasha killed people before, and Kagome had had plenty of reasons not to trust him for a long time. That Kikyo ever died was just something that had happened. No one planned her death. If she had lived, then Inuyasha would have chosen the dead priestess over Kagome, and everything would have been different. Of that there was no doubt.

"I do understand..." Kagome whispered, then added smoothly, "but you might still be able to prevent it."

L straightened marginally. Kagome was smart, but he didn't believe she could have come up with a successful plan quicker than he could. He tried not to get his hopes up too much as he listened to her idea.

"Bring in a third party," she suggested more energetically, obviously pushing some painful issue aside. "Someone who could see the situation freshly. If that person agrees with you, maybe you could sway your teams' opinion. If not, try to change your friend's morals. Try to make him understand that he's doing wrong."

L frowned thoughtfully and chewed his thumb again. Those were two ideas that he had thought of before, however, considered the first too dangerous and the latter too ridiculous to even bother with. But what choice did he have? He looked at Kagome with an idea forming behind his eyes.

"Alright. I'll take your suggestions to heart. This means that it's your turn to tell me some more information about your situation."

Kagome's shoulders fell. "What do you want to know?"

L shrugged. "You decide."

She chewed her bottom lip absently until a safe piece of information finally formulated in her mind. "Well, I am a pretty powerful priestess."

L appeared annoyed. "That's not very revealing. Interesting surely, but not very dark."

"It is!" Kagome defended. Then she leaned back and blushed, a bit embarrassed by her outburst. It had been a really long time since anyone had got her so riled up. "Well, you won't believe me."

L smirked. "And you believed me?"

Kagome's jaw dropped and she gaped at the detective for a long time before he finally had to plop a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Again Kagome considered the idea that this man might have been lying to her about everything, but he finally constrained himself and slapped on a completely serious face.

"I'm only joking, Kagome," he stated.

Kagome stared at him for a moment longer, snapped her mouth closed, and jumped right into her story without restraint, "I met this guy a while back and accidentally revived him from a...coma. Well, I looked almost exactly like his ex-girlfriend, who is the person who actually put him in the coma. It took a while for me to really like him, but when I finally did, I was..." Kagome blushed. "I was in love with him, and it would be a lie to say that he wasn't at least a little affectionate towards me as well. We were starting to get close, and then something crazy happened. She was supposed to be dead, but his ex-girlfriend came back. She wanted revenge for some stuff that happened to her that she thought was his fault. Turns out that someone else who liked her was the real jerk who had screwed the two of them over. She left for a while and I got to spend some more time with the guy I liked, but every time his ex showed up, I was yesterday's news. He always ran away to meet her. But everything changed, because, eventually, she really did die..."

Kagome's eyes were shadowed as she continued, "After that, the guy I liked still wanted revenge for what happened to him and his ex, so he went in search of the one who had caused all of the problems and settled the score. I got dragged into it, and ended up back home after it was over. I haven't been able to see that guy again, but I know he's waiting for me."

After a long silence, the detective shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "There are a lot of questionable occurrences in that story," he remarked.

"Shut up," Kagome snapped halfheartedly.

L slouched a bit more. "Unfortunately, I cannot offer any suggestions for you in this situation, and it occurs to me that it would be very selfish to ask anything of you."

Kagome's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You want something from me?" she asked, perplexed.

"I hate to ask or your help, but I'm desperate," he said, not meeting her eyes. "There are a lot of snags in my plan, if you'll agree to it." Suddenly, his eyes lit up as an idea dawned on him. "Wait. I could offer you something."

"What?"

"You need money for college, right? And living expenses?"

Kagome blinked. "Yeah, and food, and transportation..."

L got a determined gleam in his eye. "Help me and I'll help you. Kagome, I don't know you all that well, but you may be my only chance. Be my third party, or at least help me convince my friend to change his ways, and I'll give you all the money you'll ever need. In fact, I'll give it to you even if we don't succeed."

Kagome was confused. "You have money?"

He nodded vigorously. "That's where some of the snags come in. Kagome, if you agree to this, I'll have to tell you everything. Also, you'll be faced with things that you may not believe could possibly exist. And...you'll be risking your life. I am investigating a murderer after all."

This sounded... Kagome was frozen. _This sounds like the way things used to be, _she thought in awe. _Could it be possible? Can I find that sense of life here in this time as well?_ Her eyes suddenly shone fiercely with a light that hadn't graced them in four and a half years.

"I'll do it." She declared.

L blinked. "Are you positive? You've hardly had any time to think about any of this."

"Ryuga," Kagome started, "this is what I've been wanting all along, something to do again."

Slowly, the detective nodded. He stood up, shoulders hunched, and watch in astonishment as Kagome rose from her seat to follow him, eyes glowing with...gleeful anticipation?

L walked out of the cafe and back onto the street. He wasn't too surprised to see that the sky was beginning to lighten. Dawn was fast approaching.

Catching up to him, Kagome commented bizarrely, "It's weird that they didn't kick you out for not wearing shoes. Ryuga, you're going to get a cold."

L was focused, half ignoring her. Finally, someone had pushed him over the edge and back into detective mode. _Light, _he thought maliciously, _you're in for a whole new war. _It was time to tell Kagome the truth, he knew, and it would be an interesting ride. How could he convince her that shinigami and the Death Note existed? Well, she was a priestess, so maybe she would believe him.

Kagome was content floating about in her suddenly lightened world, when L's voice cut through her thoughts like a very concisely aimed knife.

"Kagome, do you believe in shinigami?"

AN: Yaaaay, cilffy!!! It would be more effective if the next chapter wasn't already written, of course. ^///^' R & R please! 3


	4. Chapter 4

*****spoilers for Death Note and Inuyasha reside in this fanfic. You have been warned!*****

AN: Lol, fourth chapter I've written in a ROW. This is still way too much fun. I'm loving this pairing!! Please keep on reading! It makes me happy when my work is appreciated. 3 Also, I know most of you know all of the crap that L and Kagome are going over, but I feel that it's all conducive to the story. I don't like it when fanfics stray off the path of the character's original background, and those first reactions when characters are learning about the other characters are always epic. Why do people not write about these things more often?! O.O Not an insult to anyone, I swear! I love all fanfics. They are my crack.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Death Note or Inuyasha.

**Lady Priestess**

"_Not failure, but low aim is crime."_

_-_Lowell.

***

"Shinigami?" Kagome repeated harshly. She had stopped walking and was now staring at "Ryuga" with wide eyes. "D-do _you_ believe in them?"

L frowned and replied, "I didn't until very recently."

She nearly fell over in relief. So those sort of things still existed in this time? It was astounding. It had been so long since she'd had any involvement with shinigami or youkai. A battle against the dark priestess Tsubaki was the last time she could recall having come across a shinigami that was a serious threat.

"I believe in them," Kagome said in a stunned whisper.

L sighed with relief. "Good. I was worried about that part." Suddenly, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and held it up to his ear the same way he had earlier held the fork in the cafe.

"Watari," he suddenly said into the receiver, "will you come pick me up? Oh? So he's worried, is he? Tell him I'm fine. Thank you." He snapped the phone off and shoved it back in his pocket. Turning to Kagome, L said, "I have quite a bit to tell you. My driver will be here to pick us up in a moment."

"Driver?" Kagome inquired with a confused expression.

L looked around the area, checking to see if anyone was in close proximity, then he said quietly, "I am a multi-billionaire."

"Gyeh?!" Kagome squawked intelligently.

The detective shot her a warning look, as if to say "hush". Kagome kept her mouth shut but eyed L with scrutiny. "You don't look like one," she retorted.

"Here's the car."

Kagome gawked as an insanely fancy black car pulled up on the road and stopped next to them. L opened the door to the back seat and crawled in. He motioned for Kagome to do the same. Stunned into silence, she climbed in after him, and shut the door behind them, then watched suspiciously as the doors locked automatically.

The car started to move, and she noticed that the driver was some old guy. _He looks like a nice person, _Kagome thought offhandedly, though she was extremely worried now.

L sat back in his seat, comfortable to be in a place that he was familiar with.

"Thank you, Watari," he said to the driver, a grateful smile on his face. "By the way, this is Kagome. She's a new friend of mine who is going to help us on the investigation."

"That's wonderful. It's nice to meet you, Kagome. I am Watari."

"Er, hi." Kagome's voice was squeaky. She stared accusingly at her companion. "Explain all of this, please!" she snapped.

L snuggled into his seat, a content smile gracing his pale lips, and Kagome was momentarily entranced. _My God, he's adorable! _she thought unexpectedly.

L finally said, "Kagome.....ah." He suddenly blinked a few times in surprise. "What is your last name?"

"Higurashi."

"Right, Kagome Higurashi. Once we arrive at headquarters, I want you to go by a different name. For you safety, it's best not to mention your real name to anyone. Watari and I will not repeat it to the investigation team."

"Okay," Kagome agreed anxiously.

"Now, the things I am about to tell you are top secret and not to be repeated to anyone again. Ever. Tell me, have you heard of Kira?"

Kagome frowned. "That's a stupid question, Ryuga. Of course I have."

"Oh yes...Ryuga is not my real name, but I won't be telling you that anyway. At headquarters, you can call me Ryuuzaki, but the world generally knows me as..." L took a deep breath, and finished on an exhale, "...L."

Kagome froze, paled, then slapped a hand over her mouth.

"I know it's a bit shocking-"

"Pfft!" Kagome suddenly burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Her shoulders shook, tears flew from her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around middle.

L grimaced. "I am L," he said defensively.

"And I'm Batman!" she said between laughs. Eventually, she managed to control herself, and her eyes widened when she stared into L's serious face. _No way..._ she thought with dismay, then turned to the driver.

"Is he really?!"

"Indeed, he is, Miss Higurashi."

"HOLY FREAKING GAWD!" Kagome exclaimed loudly, gaping at L. "ARE YOU FREAKING JOKING?!"

"Afraid not," L droned, looking insulted.

Kagome took a few deep breaths, trying to control her immense surprise, before she apologized shakily, "Um...sorry, Ryug- I mean, Ryuuzaki, or L. Whatever! It's just-just.....oh. My. God." She stiffened all over again, recalling L's story earlier, and realizing what his story meant. "HOLYSHITYOU'REFRIENDSWITHKIRA?!"

L grinned. "Light Yagami is Kira. Well, I suspect that he is. The percentile is relatively low as far as physical evidence goes, however, his actions are very much what I expect of Kira."

Kagome nodded in understanding. Sometimes you had to just trust your gut. "What else?" She had to know all of the details.

"Well," L began, "I need to explain everything about Light, the investigation team, headquarters, shinigami, and Death Notes."

Kagome sat back into the seat and tried to get as comfortable as possible.

"Fire away," she said enthusiastically.

She watched L grin widely at those words and something inside of her grew warm and fluttery. Kagome fought off a blush as L began a lengthy recollection of the Kira investigation.

***

Light, Soichiro, Matsuda, and Mogi stared in absolute astonishment at Kagome Higurashi, who had just announced herself to them. L gave her a worried glance when she used her actual first name, but Kagome didn't particularly care. No one was going to die here, especially not her new friend L. She wasn't a priestess for nothing after all.

What immediately concerned her when she entered the main office of HQ was not Light Yagami, but the strange aura of the shinigami that she knew was in the room somewhere. It was true that Light's aura was rather dark, but not enough to really worry Kagome. She walked towards where the aura felt strongest and said aloud, "Is the shinigami standing here?"

She heard a collective gasp behind her and rolled her eyes. "It's just a shinigami," she muttered, "nothing so bad as a youkai."

Suddenly, Kagome felt a hand on her wrist and she looked down to see L's long, pale fingers there. "Come with me," L whispered into her ear. She nodded and he released her. Then she followed L across the room, nervous for all the eyes following their progress. When the two of them were finally in an elevator – alone – Kagome relaxed.

"They're all rather tense, aren't they?" L asked conversationally.

"Yeah, it's overwhelming," Kagome agreed. Playfully, she wrapped her arm around L's arm and said, "Good thing I have you there, Ryuuzaki! Otherwise I'd go insane!"

Surprised, L stiffened at the sudden contact, then relaxed. He couldn't believe how nice it was to have someone treating him so affectionately...a bit like a close friend. And that killed his mood. He wasn't sure why. Normally, the concept of a new friend made him giddy, but this was different. He still didn't know Kagome all that well, but he felt close to her on a level that he couldn't fully comprehend. For now, however, he'd have to accept these gestures, so he bravely threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Kagome flushed a little, but L didn't really notice.

Kagome smiled genuinely. She hadn't felt so happy in years. Finally, she had a purpose again and someone to share it with. Giddy with glee, Kagome asked quickly, "Hey, Ryuuzaki, do you think that Watari could round me up a bow and some arrows, before I get to see the shinigami?"

L blinked several times. "Why?"

"Didn't I tell you that I was a priestess?"

The genius detective was slow to comprehend her meaning. "Yes?"

"Well, get me a bow, and I'll show you a thing or two about shinigami."

***

Kagome smirked evilly as she pointed an arrow at Rem "So you're Rem, eh?" She chided at the tall, skeletal creature. "I'm not afraid of you, shinigami, and you and I have a few things to discuss."

"Ah, Kagome," L warned, "nothing can touch a shinigami in the human world."

"Wrong," Kagome growled triumphantly. Light and the investigation team stood behind Kagome, L and the shinigami. They were all shocked by the young woman's bold challenge to Rem. Light's expression was especially stunned. "Holy weapons can kill shinigami, and I'm almost certain that shinigami can't see my name or lifespan like with normal humans, eh, Rem?"

Rem bitterly replied, "You are correct in those assumptions."

Next to Kagome, L smirked. "Well done, Kagome."

"Thank you, Ryuuzaki," Kagome said, keeping her attention on Rem. "Let me tell you something, Rem," she said, "if Ryuuzaki dies, then you die. If I see you even attempt to use your Death Note, then you are dead. And _Light Yagami!" _Kagome spun around and aimed an arrow in Light's direction. The girl didn't blink when she saw a familiar gleam in his eye. _God, this guy is evil. Damn sexy, but evil, too. How stupid are these people?! _Kagome thought as Soichiro deftly jumped in front of his son.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" The man yelled.

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Light Yagami," she repeated, "if my friend dies, then so do you, proof or no proof. Like Ryuuzaki, I am confident that you are Kira. Any person outside of your corrupted little group can tell. When the others try to stop me, I'll fight them off and I'll win. I'm not a trained priestess for nothing." Kagome was bluffing a little, of course, but she wasn't lying about one thing. If Light killed L, then she would kill Light. Kagome protected her friends no matter what the cost, and she believed in revenge. Justice was just a pretty title for it.

For the first time in years, Kagome let her powers flare in the room. Her holy power was immense, for it had even surpassed Kikyo's, and it was still wild for lack of control, but it would be effective if she had to use it.

The air in the room tensed, and the shinigami shuttered. This girl wasn't playing around, Rem realized. And she was powerful enough to balance the odds in L's favor, which wouldn't bode well for Misa. The shinigami glared at Light. If that foolish human didn't think of something soon, Misa would be faced with execution. She would end up dead for sure! They needed a new plan, and fast.

Finally, Kagome smirked and lowered her bow. She unhooked the arrow and shoved it in an old fashioned quiver on her back, then wound up her bow and put it in there too. Friendly now, she approached Light Yagami, slipping past his father, and coming to face the teenager.

_Damn sexy, _she thought again and was reminded of an insanely gorgeous demon that just so happened to be Inuyasha's brother. In Kagome's opinion, Light Yagami had nothing on Sesshoumaru, whose appearance and presence were enough to make any person feel inferior. No, compared to Sesshoumaru or even Naraku, Kagome thought Light might be a pretty easy opponent. After all, L actually liked him, considered him a friend. Kagome might too, in time.

"I want to get to know you better, Light," she said warmly, holding out her hand for him to shake. Light, befuddled, shook her hand and smiled uncertainly. "Ryuuzaki likes you, so you can't be too horrible."

At that, Light grinned, and Kagome suddenly realized why L was so worried about putting him in the electric chair. Light Yagami might be Kira, but beneath all of that crazy ambition and lust for justice, he was just another teenager, and a cute one at that.

Kagome frowned. This might require a lot of work.

**AN:** R&R! 3 For some reason, I didn't think this chappy was as good as the previous ones. O__O Expect some super funness next chapter to make up for it!


	5. Chapter 5

*****Warning: this fanfiction contains spoilers for both Death Note and Inuyasha*****

**AN: **^,^' You guys have got to think I'm nutters by now. This fanfic is still ongoing, after all. Anywho, enjoy more of L x Kags! 3 They'll...erm...be developing a more fluffy relationship soon, and L will have to learn some more stuff about Kagome's past. That will be sososo much fun to write! Remember, I said this wasn't going to be a super long fanfic, because I actually want to finish it. I meant it! This is probably closer to a half way point. I've got to get this thingy done before I leave for my Navy basics DX Lol, I'll shut up now. Wait, no I won't. Know that the handcuffs are _back _and cuffier than eva!!

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own Death Note or Inuyasha.

By the way, I have to thank these people, because I love them so much for reviewing and stuff (that sounds intelligent). So thanks **LuluCrazeD, Bullsxxtaty, gothiccheerleader, Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, LeafeKnight7, and Rhinoa Luar** for your kind words. They inspired me to write another chapter...not this one though. This one has been done for...4 or 5 days...please don't shoot me!! Anyway, enjoy 3

**Just Another Teenager**

"_There's nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."_

_-_Shakespeare.

***

Kagome, to her utter delight, got a whole floor of HQ to herself. It was fully furnished, just like a real apartment building. At L's request, she called her friend Yuri and informed her roommate of the whole situation – heavily edited of course. For the time being, she wouldn't be attending her classes. Kagome and L developed a convincing side story for the college, and L sent movers to get all of Kagome's personal possessions from her dorm room. The movers arrived at HQ late one afternoon. After her things were packed away in her new apartment, Kagome decided that it was time to begin "bonding" with the enemy, namely Light Yagami. Presently, she had only lived at HQ for 3 days, and L was the only person who had seen very much of her.

With her bow and a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back, Kagome took the elevator down to the main office where most of the investigating took place. Feeling very much like a warrior priestess, she emerged into the room with a welcoming smile on her face – and then stopped abruptly to gape at the scene set before her.

Soichiro Yagami, Light's father, was yelling at Ryuuzaki quite loudly. Mogi and Matsuda stood silently off to one side, shifting uncomfortably as they watched the scene unfold. A goth blond girl was tugging insistently on one of Light's sleeves, chattering away at an unbelievable speed. And Light and L were well...

To put it simply, L was sitting in a chair, looking impossibly bored as he was being yelled at. Wrapped around one wrist was a silver handcuff. On the other end of the six foot long chain attached to it, was the other handcuff. It constrained one of Light's wrists. The teenager looked absolutely venomous.

"Ryuuzaki, I thought we were done with this! Would you tell me why we are wearing these stupid things again?!" Light yelled, his powerful voice breaking through his father's crazy rant. Soichiro relievedly stepped back and let his son take the reigns. _That's bad parenting, _Kagome thought bitterly as L turned his huge eyes on Light.

"After a third party agreed to most of my theories about you, Light, I determined that these would serve better on, rather than off as they have been recently."

Light inhaled sharply. "That's insane, Ryuuzaki."

"What's wrong, Light?" Kagome suddenly said, walking forward. "Are you afraid that being at Ryuuzaki's beck and call will eventually reveal that you are indeed Kira?"

Light glared at her. "No," he growled, "Ryuuzaki and I have done this before. For months we were chained together and after apprehending Higuchi and obtaining the Death Note, he admitted that I could not be Kira."

"I never said that!" L suddenly declared defensively. "I simply apologized for being so persistent in attempting to reveal that you are Kira, however, I informed you that I would remain suspicious of you, even if no one else did."

"I find it interesting," Kagome said automatically, interrupting them, "that Light refers to the notebook as the 'Death Note'. As far as I've heard, everyone else here calls it the 'notebook.'"

"Why should _that _matter?" Light snapped nastily. "You are just like Ryuuzaki, aren't you?"

Kagome frowned. Light was painstakingly obvious in his actions, just as L had informed her. She was still extremely surprised to see how twisted he could be. After knowing people like Naraku and Sesshoumaru, who were pretty open about their ideals, it was strange to see someone so apparently evil deny it so readily.

"In some ways, I am like Ryuuzaki," Kagome said quietly, looking away, "but in other ways, I am different from any person you have ever known." A rush of memories flooded Kagome's thoughts. Even being involved in the Kira investigation wasn't all that unusual. It was nothing like the other things that she had experienced. Light would never comprehend how different she was. Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, keeper of the Shikon no Tama. She was an extremely powerful priestess, however, greatly untrained. She fought against countless youkai in an era that existed centuries ago, and fell in love with a hanyou, a half youkai, whom she was never likely to see again. At that thought, Kagome's heart clenched and her expression twisted into a grimace of pain.

"Woah, are you alright?" Light suddenly asked, and Kagome was surprised to hear such genuine concern in his tone. She was even more stunned when L leapt from his chair and rushed to her side. She felt his skin against hers as he placed a hand on each side of her face and stared into her chocolate eyes worriedly.

"Kagome, are you okay?" the detective asked urgently, and Kagome blushed down to her toes at the unexpected display of affection. However, there was some part of her that was grateful for L's attention. It was a part of herself that she wouldn't fully acknowledge. As usual, she pushed it away.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Ryuuzaki." Kagome's eyes were heavy with agony, but she looked him in the eye while she spoke. _I trust you, L, _she thought honestly. _So I won't hide from you._

L stayed like that for a long moment, his heart pounding urgently in his chest. The wave of anxiety that had crashed over him due to Kagome's distress was astounding and unexpected, but he had acted on it instinctively, coming to her aid without warning. Now, he was slightly ashamed of his display, but he nodded slowly and released Kagome when she answered his question. Still worried, L sauntered back over to his chair and crouched back into it. He then persisted to shove a thumb against his lips and chew absently.

"Light," Kagome suddenly said, her usual cheer forced back onto her face, "who is _this_ girl?"

Misa Amane stepped forward, letting go of Light momentarily so she could stand protectively in front of him. Of course, thanks to L, Kagome already knew who Misa was, and she watched enough television to recognize the rising star.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi," Kagome introduced, holding out a friendly hand to the girl, "and I promise that I won't steal or make any romantic advances toward your boyfriend, okay?"

After a long moment, a huge grin broke out on Misa's face. "Oh, I like you!" Misa declared, jumping forward and warmly grasping Kagome's hand. "My name is Misa Amane, but you can just call me Misa! Okay?"

Beaming, Kagome nodded.

Misa continued, "Today was the first time they let me back inside of HQ, because Ryuuzaki doesn't really trust me. It's been a while since I got to spend so much time with Light, and I adore my Light, you know."

Kagome was quickly warming up to Misa. Second Kira or not, the girl did have a heart, and a girl's heart wasn't to be trifled with. More than likely, Light was using Misa for his own misdeeds, but Kagome wouldn't say anything about that, unless it became apparent that Light was really going to hurt Misa in some way. Besides, Misa's dedication to Light reminded Kagome of a certain wolf demon who had been infatuated with her. The thought of Koga made Kagome nostalgic again, but she adeptly pushed the feeling aside. Now was not the time for such things.

"Kagome," L said, "we were discussing the handcuffs before you entered. What do you think of them?"

Kagome quirked a brow at the detective. "Well, it's kind of kinky in my opinion, but it isn't altogether a terrible idea." This made L smirk.

Light groaned at this sudden announcement. He was beginning to grasp a new concept, one that amazed him to new extents. Apparently, Kagome's word was law as far as L went. The great detective was suddenly basing all of his theories and suspicions on her opinion. It was absurd. That, along with Rem's announcement that she couldn't see Kagome's name, and that the shinigami could actually be harmed by the woman was also concerning. New obstacles were presenting themselves in rapid fire for Kira. It was as if a whole new war was beginning.

A little depressed by this, Light turned to L and said respectively, "Ryuuzaki, I need a break."

L stared blankly at the teenager for a long time, before he finally nodded in agreement. "As do I, Light. Why don't we all go visit Kagome's floor. I'm curious to see what she's done with the place."

Kagome grinned. "I'd like that!"

"Oh, me too!" Misa chimed in.

Mogi, Matsuda, and Soichiro backed away. "We'll continue working," the once-chief announced. L set them off to do some mundane tasks before he joined Light, Misa, and Kagome as they proceeded towards the elevators. They found themselves in Kagome's apartment only minutes later. Thanks to the surveillance in the building, everyone already knew what to expect, but getting a closer look at everything really put things in perspective.

As Kagome rushed off to get drinks, the others made their way to the large sofa in the center of the living room. L crouched on one end of the couch and, curiously, snatched a picture frame off of the end table. As he stared perplexedly at the picture behind the glass, Light sat beside him and also leaned over to observe it.

"What the...?" he hissed, his eyes widening at the people in the photograph. They were the most unusual bunch that he'd ever seen. L was just as confused. There were five people and a cat in the picture. Kagome was suspiciously absent from it, however.

"I got the drinks...oh." Kagome came back into the room and watched as L and Light jumped guiltily. L conspicuously sat the frame back on the table. Kagome sighed, handed out the drinks and sat down in an empty chair.

"It's okay. You don't have to look all freaked out."

Light couldn't help but ask, "Why do they all look...so unusual."

"Cosplay," Kagome lied easily. "They were all into cosplay." She watched as L reached out for the picture again. He studied the people in it unhappily. He hadn't thought to tell Kagome to keep all of her pictures stashed away, so that Light couldn't use them to learn her full name. However, he doubted that it would be very easy to find the people in the photograph.

They were lined up side by side with a clear blue sky in the background. On the far left was a man in his thirties with short black hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing black and purple robes. He was holding a golden staff in one hand. L recognized it as having spiritual value. Next to the man was another, a teenager from the looks of it. He was wearing all red, had a sword strapped to his hip, and had long white hair and dog ears on top of his head. His huge eyes shone goldenly from the photograph. Unfairly, the detective felt a small sense of annoyance against that person. He wasn't sure why. Next to the boy in red, an old woman stood. She was hunched over and wearing an old fashioned, red and white miko garb. Her gray hair was pulled back. There was a strange kid sitting on her shoulder. He had red hair and pointy ears, and a bushy red tail. Lastly, a young woman stood off to one side. She was about Kagome's present age, had black hair and dark eyes. A strange kitten sat on her shoulder.

"_In some ways, I am like Ryuuzaki, but in other ways, I am different from any person you've every known," _Kagome had told Light earlier. L had wondered briefly what she meant. From what he had heard about her past, she had more romantic difficulties than anything. However, judging from the photograph, maybe there was something much darker hiding behind her big brown eyes. The detective sighed when he felt that anxiety growing within him again. Would it never cease? Didn't he have more important things to worry about right now, like the Kira case? Shaking his head, L passed the picture to Light, and asked, "What are their names?"

Kagome winced, knowing that L had probably already put two and two together and concluded that those people were the ones who were now causing her so much pain. Feeling empty, she named them off slowly, "The old woman is Kaede. The...boy on her shoulder is Shippo. The young woman is Sango, and her cat is named Kirara. The man dressed like a monk is Miroku, and..." Kagome's eyes watered a little as she finished, "The boy in red is Inuyasha."

The way she said Inuyasha's name, with such pain and affection, made something flare to life inside of L. He chewed viciously on his thumb to hide his reaction, but he was also trembling. _What is this feeling? _he wondered. _Well, what ever it is, I don't like it. _He shifted uncomfortably as Light passed the picture over to Misa.

"Oh, the dog guy is cute!" She declared, and Kagome blushed.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly. "I always thought so."

L abruptly stood up from his seat on the couch. "Light, we have work to do," he grumbled, failing to keep his tone even.

Everyone glanced up at him in confusion.

"Is something the matter, Ryuuzaki?" Kagome asked, eyes wide with worry.

L forced himself to calm down and smile for her. "It's all fine. I just need to get some work done today that I had previously forgotten about."

"O...kay," she enunciated, her brow furrowed.

Light stood up. "Sure you're alright?" He asked L worriedly, making Kagome pause. Oh, so Light was worried about the detective now, was he? She absorbed the scene like a sponge.

"I'm fine," L said, turning to his friend with a reassuring smile. Kagome winced. It wasn't very convincing. What was wrong with L all of a sudden?

"Something is wrong with you; I know it is," Light insisted, trailing after L as he started towards the door, the chain dangling between the two.

"I'm fine, Light." L snapped.

"No, you aren't."

"I am."

"Are _not._"

Kagome smiled as they left the room, their voices proceeding them. "Light's just another teenager, isn't he, Misa?"

"Yeah," Misa replied easily, watching Kagome with curiosity. "And whether he admits it or not, he really is very fond of Ryuuzaki."

"I noticed," Kagome said. "They're like the friends that were made for each other. Each one is smart enough to understand the other in a way that no one else can. They're a couple of snobby know-it-alls." She laughed.

"They're both good people though," Misa admitted uncharacteristically. "I'd never tell Ryuuzaki that, but he is, too."

Kagome smiled. "You realize that the cameras picked all of that up just now."

The blond girl froze for a short moment, then relaxed just as quickly. "Oh well," she said, "I may not be very smart, but I'm not heartless."

"No, you're not," Kagome assured, turning to grin at Misa. "You're very nice."

"Thanks," Misa said cheerily. She stood up. "I'll talk to you later...I hope, Kagome."

"Bye, Misa."

"Bye!" Misa skipped out of the room and Kagome watched, her smile fading. _He's just another teenager,_ she thought sadly, and picked up the picture that they had all been looking at before. She stared at the red-cloaked hanyou for a long time. _Just like Inuyasha was._

**AN: **Man, Light and Kagome really need to bond in the next chappy so I can get this story rolling a little faster, not that it's going to get really, really far or anything. ^^' I also need a chappy full of L x Kagome fluff. Gosh darnit, I have so much to do. Maybe I'll combine those two ideas into one, so I can throw in the huge twist that is just begging to be presented. I'm sure by now that some of you out there have already guessed what that twist it...but I'm not saying a word. XD


	6. Chapter 6

*****Warning: this fanfiction contains spoilers for both Inuyasha and Death Note*****

**AN:// **Well, here we go. Light and Kagome are going to be forced to bond a little. I've come up with an interesting little scenario for this purpose. It's funny but these two just don't seem very compatible for some reason. I can't get them to stop arguing. O__O' This may be a bit of a challenge. Oh yeah, before you guys all freak, this story is still L X Kags, just to be clear. X__X Kagome has to learn to like Light a little bit if this story is ever going to get anywhere. Sometimes, I really wonder if ten chapters is gonna cut it.

**Friendly and Friendlier**

"_The only way to have a friend is to be one."_

_-_Emerson.

***

Kagome stared at the handcuff around her right wrist with wide, worried eyes. She looked at where the chain hooked onto the cuff, and followed the links to the other end, where Light's left wrist was constrained with the second cuff. Vaguely, she recalled the conversation they had shared with L that morning.

"_Some urgent business has come up that I have to take care of. I'll be gone for three days, and I need someone to keep an eye on Light. Kagome, I trust you." L snapped the cuff on her wrist. "Watch him closely."_

"_Ryuuzaki-"_

"_-sorry, Light. I don't have time to chat. Know that I'll be monitoring you even while I'm gone. See you in three days." He headed for the door, suitcase in hand._

"_Ryuuzaki!" Kagome finally called out._

_He waved without looking back, and disappeared through the front door of the building, leaving two gaping people in his wake._

Now here she was, strapped to the world's most wanted murderer, stuck this way for three whole days. Why? Because L had taken then damn key with him is why.

Kagome snuggled deeper into her couch. She was curled up into a ball, reading a book that she wasn't really in the mood to read, but she didn't know what else to do with Light sitting right next to her the whole time. He, too, sat on the couch, and he was annoyingly fidgety. He'd sigh, shift, sigh, shift, sigh, shift-

"SIT STILL, WOULD YOU!" Kagome screamed violently.

Light gawked at her, blinked a couple of times, then sighed again. "This is horrible," he announced. "I thought Ryuuzaki was bad, but you don't do anything interesting."

Kagome grimaced and threw her book at him. Light yelped as it plowed into his head. He then glared.

"What the hell was that for?!" Light demanded, waving his arms around dramatically.

"For being annoying!" Kagome snarled, crossing her arms over her chest and glowering at him.

"Women!" Light scoffed and mimicked her by crossing his arms. "You're worse than Misa!"

"There's nothing wrong with Misa!" Kagome defended. "She's a sweet, loving, loyal girl. You don't have enough respect for her, which is something that really suggests that you are Kira. You use her!"

"I am not Kira!" Light declared loudly. "Why does everyone think that I'm Kira?!"

"Why? I'll tell you why. You're too perfect, you over think things, and you think everything is just a game. I can't say that Ryuuzaki isn't the same way, but you're ten times worse than he is. At least he's nice!"

"He's not nice." Light said incredulously. "He's too straight forward and rude. He's insane!"

"Ex_cuse _me?!" Kagome gasped, glaring at him accusingly. "You're his friend, his _best _friend, and you don't deserve him! You don't even treat him like a friend!"

"I do, too!"

"Not enough of the time! You're occasionally nice to him, I'll admit, but it's not enough. You don't even like him, do you?"

Light stared at Kagome for a few silent minutes, taking in how angry she truly was. "I like Ryuuzaki," he finally said.

"Whatever." She jerked her eyes away from him. "You just want him out of your way. I dare you to say it isn't true."

"I..." Light's voice was heavy. "I am not Kira."

"Most of the time. When you're here, you hide it pretty well, but when you're not around Ryuuzaki, I can see straight through your eyes and into that murderer's. I know who you are, Light Yagami."

Light grimaced and aimed a glare at the windows across the room.

Kagome sighed. "Light, let's say that you aren't Kira and that if you were, would you still like Ryuuzaki? Even though he's your greatest enemy?"

Light's grimace faltered and turned into a thoughtful frown. Fact of the matter was, Light knew he was Kira, knew how Kira thought and felt, and he knew the answer he was about to give was the honest-to-God truth.

"Yes," he finally answered.

"That's all I need to know," Kagome said. She sat back against the couch and made herself relax...and somehow her mind wandered into areas that she would rather forget. As an empty silence filled the apartment, she recalled Inuyasha and what he was like. His voice filled her thoughts, telling her things, mostly teasing and insulting, but endearing all the same. She secretly mooned over his long, white hair and his piercing golden orbs as she used to long ago. She remembered his scent, a thing so unique that she could almost taste it – the smell of a wild forest in a windstorm.

As Light watched her curiously from his peripherals, Kagome remembered her last moments with Inuyasha, and forgot all about the present.

_She was surrounded, being suffocated by darkness, and that was how he found her. As Inuyasha came to her aid, Kagome smiled sadly and opened her arms in welcome, and they embraced._

"_Kagome, are you okay?" Inuyasha asked urgently, voice tinted with concern as he pulled her away so he could look her in the eye._

"_Inuyasha, I know what I must do to destroy the jewel," she told him, eyes watering._

_He stared at her for a long moment, taking in her sad expression, and understood. "You're going home, aren't you?"_

_Trembling, she nodded. "Yes, but only for a little while, a few years maybe. I hope. I'm going to try...try to come back if the jewel will let me."_

_The hanyou forced a smile on his face. "I'll wait forever."_

"_Inuyasha..."_

_She had been shocked when he pressed his lips to hers. His reaction was so unexpected, not to mention short lived. When he quickly pulled away, Kagome felt her world tumble and fall._

"_We'll finish this when you return."_

_She felt hot tears pouring down her face, and watched in awe as Inuyasha shed his own._

"_Okay..."_

"Kagome?!" The urgency in Light's tone snapped Kagome out of her reverie. She jumped in surprise and rushed to rub away the tears from her eyes.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, Light!" She said quickly, trying to correct her own weakness, but she couldn't stop the tears. Unbidden, they just kept on falling. It had been so long since she had really remembered those moments, had felt the utter agony of being separated from Inuyasha.

"Kagome, are you okay?"

"_Kagome, are you okay?"_

It was too much. Light watched in utter horror as Kagome collapsed under the weight of her own grief. He was used to dealing with females on a regular basis, being so popular, but they didn't often randomly break down for no reason like she was. Awkwardly, Light leaned over and patted Kagome's shoulder, amazed to hear her muttering one word over and over – but no, he quickly realized, it wasn't a word, but a name she was repeating. He strained to listen. Names could be, he knew better than anyone, extremely important.

"_Inuyasha,_" Kagome whispered. "Inu...yasha." She curled into a ball and buried her face in a cushion. Her shoulders trembled violently.

_Shit! What do I do?! _Light thought frantically. He lurched in surprise when the room's only phone started ringing. Thinking to himself that this was certainly _not the time _for other members of the investigation team to be interfering, he walked across the room and snatched the phone off of the receiver, answering with an annoyed, "Hello!"

"Light! What is wrong with Kagome?!"

"What are _you _calling for?!" Light snarled, half amazed to hear L's worried tone coming from the phone. Somehow, he'd forgotten that the detective was still imposing his critical eye upon them. How humiliating.

"It should be obvious," L muttered. "Now, _what _is wrong with her?"

"I can handle this!" Light yelled, slamming the phone down violently.

Hundreds of miles away, on a plane headed to England, a detective growled harshly, "Up three percent, Light."

Meanwhile, back in the apartment, Light Yagami was again trying to console the crying girl, but she was already trying to contain her hysterics. Rasping, she told him, "I'm so...sorry, Light. I was just remembering some....things."

"Um...what can I do to help?"

Sniffling, she said, "Tell me something funny," not knowing if it would help or not. She did, after all, like funny things. Who didn't?

Light grimaced, struggling to get his thoughts in order, before saying reluctantly, "If you write my name backwards in English, it spells 'Imagay'. You know, I'm a gay?"

Kagome's crying came to a sudden stop, and she gaped at Light for a long moment as a whole new world of ideas opened up in her mind. She imagined Light having a crush on L, and almost laughed outright.

"Oh my God, are you?!"

"No!" Light declared, flustered. "Of course not!"

"That's good," she clarified, biting back a guffaw. "Because I would implode trying to imagine you daydreaming about Ryuuzaki's sexy body."

Light paled. His jaw dropped-

-and Kagome laughed so hard that she fell off the couch, her tears forgotten.

So three days passed pretty quickly, for those two at least.

Poor L, though, he didn't stand a chance.

**AN:**// You guys are just gonna love the next chappy. On that note, sorry this one's ending was a little bland. I'm tired, and it's past 1 a.m. again. L gets to watch Light and Kagome bond while in the presence of the crazy threesome. Can you guess who? Lol, of course you can if you're a true Death Note fanatic. Mello, Near, and Matt are just the loveliest lovelies of lovely land, and I am a complete lunatic sometimes. Also, the next chapter is really random and unexpected, the idea having just developed over the last few minutes as a retarded excuse for me to write about Whammy kids.

Yeah, I'm a schmuck.

Bet you weren't expecting two updates though, huh? Love me, for I am awesome!! O.O I'm totally kidding. I am humbled before the talents of other fanfic authors. I cannot compare.

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

****Warning: Death Note and Inuyasha spoilers await you if you read this.*****

AN:// I'm just spitting these things out left and right. Here's another chapter. It's filled to the brim with L. *audience cheers* I just realized that this is chapter seven, and I still have three or four important events in wait. :'( So much for fanfic shortness. I also skived off on character descriptions. I'll assume that if you're reading this fanfic, you know what Matt, Mello, and Near all look like. Anywho, thank you all for reviews and favorites and alerts! I really appreciate them! 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Death Note or Inuyasha, which really bites. I would love to own them, but I don't – just to clarify.

**Successor**

"_Trifles make perfection, but perfection itself is no trifle."_

_-_Michael Angelo

***

So he had never met them before, never seen them in person. Mello, Matt, and Near had been the handful of Wammy kids that L had taken an interest in. As he had answered the other children via computer that day so long ago, Mello and Near hadn't spoken a word, and Matt asked only the most intelligent of questions. Yet, somehow, L had sensed within those three the greatest potential. He respected them, and after a great deal of thought, relayed to Roger his desire to line them up as his successors.

Matt, Mello, or Near would succeed L.

He had studied them in his free time, what little of it that there was. Near lacked motivation and was seemingly detached from reality. Mello lacked restraint and was too emotional. Matt wasn't as smart as either of those two, but had decent social skills and a lot of skill with computers. Eventually, L determined that not just one, but the three as a team could succeed him in talent, capability, and intelligence. It was not a fact he had been proud to admit, but for the sake of the job, had relayed his honest thoughts to Roger. Plans were layed out that would be put into immediate effect as a result of L's death.

He was more than a little grateful to Kagome that he hadn't bit the dust just yet.

Thinking of her, L frowned. Kagome had captured in him a great interest, which he could not fathom the depths of. He wanted to know her darkest secrets, her faults, her fears, her dreams, and her strengths. He was captivated, but had yet to recognize his feelings of attraction as what they were. Truth be told, the amazing detective didn't think that it was possible for anyone to fall in love with him, thus discouraged himself from growing at all attached to others in such a sense, which he unknowingly had. Even his friendship with Light should have been unheard of, but L hadn't been able to help himself that day, for he had never liked a person so much, and he didn't possess a lot of restraint.

Pushing these thoughts aside, L walked into the familiar gates to Wammy's and felt an expected wave of nostalgia crash over him. He had a lot of memories here, both good and bad, painful and pleasant. However, he didn't have time to revel in the past. He would do what needed doing, then leave. He had work waiting in Japan, and couldn't very well leave Light and Kagome tied together for too long. His only hope was that they could learn to get along a little, and allow Kagome to understand why L was so fond of Light.

He was so lost in this arduous train of thoughts that L didn't notice the riot of children come rushing out of the orphanage until the very last instant, when he was pushed violently to the ground and tackled repeatedly. He was hugged and paraded with questions in such a flurry that he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. A bit worried, L searched around for someone to save him, when he caught a flash of blonde hair towards the back of the group.

"Mello!" He suddenly called out, and a collective gasp fled through the group of children.

"Get offa him, assholes!" Someone growled, and to L's great surprise, most of the children crawled off of him and backed away. One remained, of course. After all, Matt never listened to Mello like the other children did. He gripped L's sleeve possessively. Standing close by, Near watched with marginal interest. Mello stepped forward to pry Matt from L's sleeve, and help the detective to his feet.

"What should we call you today?" Near asked.

"Ryuuzaki, please." L replied flatly. "Thank you," he told Mello, and proceeded to brush the sand from his jeans.

Matt rolled his eyes and stood up, then walked over to snag and cling to Mello's arm. The blonde winced and muttered under his breath. Near moved subconsciously closer to the two, and L realized with some surprise that the three of them were quite close, despite their rivalry.

"So what you brings you here?" Mello asked levelly.

L shrugged, and he felt the eyes of all of the children on his back, making him somewhat self conscious. The only ones who didn't seem to have that familiar glint of disapproval in their eyes were the three that stood before him, and somehow L suddenly knew that he had chosen his successors well.

He smiled in welcome. "I'm here to discuss the matter of my successor with all of you."

"Don't you want to talk to Roger first?" Near inquired.

"No," the detective replied. "He is not my successor. Mello, Matt, Near, come with me please. We'll continue this discussion inside. I want to get things done as soon as possible. After all, I left Kira alone in Japan and the situation has made me quite uncomfortable. I like to keep a careful eye on him."

"So you have determined his identity," Near stated as if he was confirming a guess.

"Indeed I have, however, the investigation team does not agree with me, and I lack the evidence to convict the person I believe to be Kira." L followed them inside as he said this, the rest of the orphans trailing behind him sadly. He did feel slightly guilty for ignoring their affectionate displays, but he didn't have much time to worry about them. He was still very concerned about Kagome and Light and how things were going back in Japan.

They made their way up to L's old room, and Mello rudely closed the door on all of the other children's faces. "They'll eavesdrop," he said offhandedly, "but they know to keep their mouths shut."

L nodded, understanding. He knew that ties ran close among the Wammy children. He didn't need telling. Sighing, he took in the room's contents, noting that they hadn't changed at all, for which he was grateful. Roger was funny that way. He made his way over to an armchair and crouched onto it. Matt, Mello, and Near positioned themselves around the room.

"My possessions will be arriving shortly," L announced, meeting each of their eyes. "And when they do, I will resume steady observation of my suspect in Japan. Until then, I would like to clarify who I would like my successor to be."

As the three children listened attentively, L took a deep breath, knowing that his words would not inspire a great deal of agreement among them. "I have decided that if I die, I want all of you to replace me. What I mean by this is that I want you to combine your skills to capture Kira, in the event that I am not able to."

A long silence drug through the room. Matt's expression was indifferent. Mello was staring disgustedly at Near, and Near was frowning.

"Why have you decided this, Ryuuzaki?" The smallest child asked emotionlessly.

"Not one of you can surpass me alone. It will take the three of you to do so."

Near nodded. "This I can accept."

"Me, too." Matt said offhandedly.

"Well, not me!"

L sighed. He had expected Mello's reaction.

"Sorry, Mello, but my decision has been made. You will just have to work with Near and Matt if you want the position. I'm sure that, if you think about it, you will eventually appreciate this condition."

"I highly doubt it," Near muttered, and L shot him a scolding look as Mello burst into a ranting fit.

"Hush, Mells." Matt snapped at his blonde friend.

Red-faced, Mello did stop yelling, only to cross his arms and cock a hip out to one side. _He's nearly as ridiculous as Light. So dramatic. _L thought amusedly, and decided that he rather liked Mello.

"How about this." L suggested easily. "I'll need help monitoring my suspect while I am here, and I trust the three of you to keep things confidential. Do you want to help?"

"We get to help?" Mello piped up, suddenly cheered. "Awesome! I'll go get my laptop."

"I should also retrieve mine," Near said, sauntering out of the room as Mello rushed ahead of him, grinning.

"Could you grab mine, Near?"

"Certainly, Matt."

"Thanks."

L frowned as they left, his mind immediately falling into that void of anxiety that he was slowly growing accustomed to.

"Ah, Mr. Ryuuzaki? We have your things here!"

L lurched to his feet and rushed to the door, snatched a suitcase out of some random man's hand and barely breathed a word of thanks before he was back at his dusty bed, flinging the suitcase open and snatching out his equipment.

"You're like a man on crack," Matt said observantly.

"I'm just worried," the detective said quickly, throwing things together. "I've been quite worried about the situation I had to leave the team in."

"Lemme help." Matt walked across the room, and hurried L's work along. By the time Mello and Near returned, the detective's equipment was already set up. He connected the laptops to his own via a private wireless network.

L grinned when he finally got to sit down and open up the surveillance feeds from his private building in Japan. He took in the feeds eagerly, checking first on the investigation team, before seeking out Light and Kagome. They were sitting in her apartment again….playing Jinga.

"The hell..?" Mello grumbled from his place on L's old bed. "Who's the babe?"

L twitched. "That's Kagome Higurashi. She's a friend of mine and assisting me with the investigation."

"This is Light Yagami, chief Yagami's son." Near stated, nodding at his own screen. "I have been keeping up with the case."

"We all have," Matt commented, "thanks to the feeds you've been sending us, Ryuuzaki."

"That's Watari's doing," L grumbled. "He and I recently agreed that it might be smarter to do so, in case of my death."

"You seem very cautious," Near said.

"I have to be. As time moves on, my situation grows more imminent. Unless Kira is caught within the next month or so, I will be killed by him."

A heavy silence filled the room again.

L shifted in his seat. "Just help me keep an eye on Light and Kagome, please."

"Yes, sir." was the unified response.

"Ooo, what are they doing now?"

"Flip on the audio."

Once that task was done, the four listened and watched the ongoings at HQ intently.

Light and Kagome were making their way to L's favorite floor, which was the large kitchen where all of his sweets were stashed. Having missed the first part of the conversation, L and his cohorts weren't entirely sure what was going on at first.

"Light, this is a really bad idea!" Kagome was yelling. "Ryuuzaki's watching everything, so it's stupid."

"You're wrong, Kagome," Light informed, opening the refrigerator. "He can't be watching us all the time. There will be short intervals when Ryuuzaki won't be able to watch what we're up to."

"But he'll probably go over everything twice."

"He doesn't have the time."

The girl sighed. "Whatever, you tard." Then, to the observers' dismay, she giggled unexpectedly. "So what are we gonna do?" Light grinned evilly and pulled something out of the refrigerator.

Watching with wide eyes, L gasped, "My strawberry cheesecake!"

All three of his successors looked pityingly at the detective, as Kagome's voice said loudly through the speakers, "So what are we going to do with it?"

"How hungry are you?"

"Gyah!" L lurched to his feet and started cursing at the computer screen. Mello, Matt, and Near exchanged glances, all biting back smiles.

L's stay would be interesting.

**AN://** Wellers, L didn't really get jealous or anything like I planned, but for some reason, I wasn't in the right mood to write that sort of thing, and I promised an update so…here it is. ^^ I didn't go over this one but once, so there might be some mistakes…Sorry about that.


	8. Chapter 8

*****warning, there be spoilers in this fanfic for Death Note and Inuyasha*****

**AN:// **The world needs more good comedy. Thanks to Bishonen'sFoxyMiko for the great ideas!

**Difficulties**

"_Study the big problems all the time, but never to skip a small task, for one of the simple duties may hold the key to the biggest problem."_

_-_John T. Faris

***

L stared at the monitor. It was getting late in Japan, as opposed to the early hours in England, and he was eager to see how things were going. Seated behind him in various positions, his successors were sprawled out comfortably, each with a laptop in his lap. However, the monotony of the situation called for alternate forms of entertainment.

Matt was playing Galaga when nothing particularly interesting was happening. Mello was fiercely making his way through a huge stack of chocolate candy bars, his eyes glued to his laptop, and Near was twirling a strand of white hair around one finger, counting backwards from one thousand in his head. L was slowly devouring a slice of chocolate cake.

Finally, some extremely hilarious, and in L's case, annoying events began to occur that he hadn't been thinking of when he'd chained his two friends together.

Mello sat up a little straighter, and said, "Hey, Ryuuzaki, would you up the audio?"

L nodded accordingly and reached forward with a pale finger, turning up the volume on his own computer to a louder setting. They all straightened as the show began.

Kagome walked into her apartment from the hallway with an uncomfortable expression on her face, followed by Light, who looked even more nervous than she did. L briefly wondered what was upsetting them so badly, until he realized what the problem was as they headed for Kagome's bedroom.

"Now, this is interesting," Matt implied, grinning. "Oh, no…wait." They continued to observe as Kagome retrieved clothes from her dresser: pajamas and panties. L saw and suddenly noted the severity of the situation. He dug a hand into his own pocket, felt something cold against his fingers and slowly brought it out. He nearly gawked at the silver key laying in his palm thinking, _How could I have been so stupid?_

He watched as Light blushed darkly and followed Kagome to the bathroom.

"Okay," Kagome stuttered, "here's the deal. You don't look in here, _at all_. We'll need the crack in the door, for the chain. I don't know how I'm going to make this work…"

Light grinned teasingly and suggested, "I could help you."

"Hah. Hah." Kagome retorted, slipping completely into the bathroom, flushing when the door refused to stay closed on it's own.

"I'll hold it," Light declared, clutching the handle on the outside. "Just take your time."

Kagome sighed and said something in confirmation, then dug around in the cabinet above the sink and found some scissors. Sighing unhappily, she began to snip the sleeves off of her shirt. "L, you so owe me," she muttered under her breath, not knowing that her voice was still audible. "I swear, if he's watching this I'll murder him when he returns."

"You sure that she isn't Kira?" Mello suddenly asked the detective.

L, fighting a blush, rolled his eyes. "Yes," he snapped. He was more than a little irritated by the situation so far. "I hadn't anticipated this," he admitted.

"Do we really have to watch _this_?" Near asked nervously.

"Be serious, Near," Mello teased, "You'll eventually have to deal with this sort of thing anyway. Heh. I think it's entertaining. After all, she's-"

"_Mello!" _Matt snapped, interrupting him. The redhead was apparently the only who had noticed L's dark expression. "Keep your opinions to yourself, would you?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "You're always defending Near. You're supposed to be my best friend, not that whiney brat's!"

"Silence!" L snarled and demanded, "Pay attention to what you're supposed to be doing."

"Yes, Ryuuzaki," the three chorused.

They watched as Kagome disrobed down to only her panties and bra. L gasped slightly when he saw her back.

"Damn, that had to hurt…" Mello said in awe.

There were a series of nasty looking scars covering Kagome's back, legs, and other parts of her body that she usually kept concealed. Sighing, the girl grabbed a wet rag and wiped down her body.

"This is hot," Mello muttered under his breath. Matt reached over and slapped him loudly. L didn't notice, for his strict attention was focused on the monitor. He watched as Kagome dried off, and could think of nothing but Light standing outside of her bathroom door. The detective was berating himself violently in the privacy of his own thoughts. Light was Kira, a mass murderer, and he was standing right outside of Kagome's door while she changed clothes! - Kagome, who had shared pain with L, who had accepted him so easily, trusted him like a friend, even though they barely knew each other. Biting his lip, he thought, _I am so sorry about this, Kagome! _He was aching for all of her scars, the ones he hadn't known about before, and he wondered where she had gotten them. Her past must have been worse than she had put it off to be.

Misery, fear, loneliness…those were the things they had in common, but he marks of physical pain on her back were more than a little distressing. L was suddenly a little jealous, envious that she had endured more than he had, and was obviously stronger. Or maybe not. Could it be that Kagome was still suffering so profoundly? Maybe…

Kagome somehow managed to get her pjs on, having to maneuver oddly and cut bits of her shirt off to do it. When she was finished, she ran through her nightly routine, before leaving the bathroom, and telling Light that it was his turn.

"Ugh, this bites." Mello growled as they watched Light run through a routine similar to Kagome's. Eventually, the teenager and priestess moved back to the bedroom.

"Which side do you want?" Kagome asked.

"I'll take this one."

L, Matt, Mello, and Near watched in dismay as Light and Kagome settled in for the night.

"Think we'll get to see any action?" Mello suddenly asked, and Matt glared at him before L could turn around to do it himself.

"Fucking shut up, Mello!" Matt snarled.

"I would take his advice," Near agreed flatly. "Otherwise, you might be knocked off of the successor list."

Mello went into a fit of quiet curses, but L didn't care to listen. He watched tensely, his blood boiling as Kagome turned out her bedside lamp and lay on her side, not facing Light. The teenager faced away from her as well, and each of them shifted uncomfortably for nearly an hour before they finally fell asleep.

"This is boring," Matt admitted with a yawn after two more hours passed.

"It is not specifically entertaining," Near agreed in his monotonous way.

L frowned at their proclamations, and though he understood, wouldn't say so aloud. It wasn't his way to complain about work.

Another two hours passed, and his cohorts had fallen asleep. L sat awake and alone and watched Light and Kagome. He was nodding off, when Kagome suddenly moved a great deal. The detective watched as she rolled over several times and pressed herself against Light, who had turned over to face her an hour or so ago. L's jaw dropped as Light mumbled in his sleep and wrapped his arms around Kagome. She moaned incoherently and snuggled against him.

L snapped mouth shut, balled his fists, and glared venomously at the screen. He didn't quite know why his blood was on fire, or he was suddenly so tense, but he was certain of one thing: he did not like the fact that Kagome and Light were so intimately close to each other, even if they weren't aware of it.

And then Kagome said something that only made the situation worsen. L didn't quite catch it, so he opened a second feed and rewound it, adjusting the audio. He listened tensely as she mumbled four syllables, "Inuyasha…"

L's throat was dry. He pressed the button to play it again, and wanted to scream as her soft voice filled him with dread.

"Inuyasha…"

He slowly closed the feed and adjusted the volume for the original surveillance. Sorrowfully, Kagome muttered again, and this time, L didn't have to strain to hear her say, "I love you, Inuyasha."

L closed out of the window completely and stood up from his chair. He stepped over Near and Matt as he made his way to his old bed and crawled in, where he curled up in a ball and stared into space.

He didn't want to think anymore.

***

On the last day of L's stay, his little group had gathered in his room again, but this time, L was withdrawn, his expression revealing nothing. The others had definitely noticed a change in the detective, but chose to keep their silence.

The nights passed, and L didn't sleep. Each night was a repeat of the last in Japan. When Light woke up each morning, he had to pry Kagome from his person. She'd wake up, blush, and apologize.

But that last day was horrible, because the one thing happened that could set L on edge. His flight was scheduled to leave that afternoon, and he was sitting in the kitchen of Wammy's eating a snack enthusiastically, when he saw Light and Kagome walking down one of HQ's hallways. They were laughing and joking about some mediocre issue, when Kagome stumbled and fell.

Naturally, Light attempted to catch her. The result was Kagome sprawled face up on the hallway floor with Light laying on top of her. L watched angrily as Kagome blushed brightly.

"Uh…sorry, Kagome."

_Then hurry up and get off of her, Light! _L was screaming inwardly, his face reddening with every passing second.

Finally, Light crawled off of Kagome and helped her to her feet. The two stared at each other for a long moment, before they burst into a fit of hysterical laughter and continued walking down the hall.

L watched them retreat, but didn't move on to the next camera. Enraged, he slammed his laptop closed and stood up from his seat. The annoying threesome all came down the stairs at the same time trying to get L's attention, but paused when they saw his expression.

"I something wrong, Ryuuzaki?" Near asked, eyes a bit wider than usual.

"I'm leaving!" The detective snarled, and stormed upstairs to retrieve his things. Then he called back, "Go tell Roger!"

Matt rushed off to obey and Mello and Near exchanged surprised glances.

"He's a bit more animated than I expected him to be," Near admitted. Not sure what to say, Mello nodded in agreement.

L left Wammy's House fifteen minutes later.

***

Kagome and Light were in her apartment again when her phone rang. Since she was closer, Kagome answer the phone with a cheerful greeting. Light watched as a huge grin shone on her face.

"Thanks, Matsuda!" She said excitedly before hanging up. She turned to Light. "He's back!"

Light sighed and raced out of the room after her. She was happy that she wouldn't be attached to him anymore. He, on the other hand, preferred her to L and his strange tendencies.

As they arrived in the main investigation room, L walked in from another door. Kagome and Light stopped in their tracks when they saw his face. He was obviously angry about something, but no one knew what.

"Ryuuzaki!" Kagome suddenly said, offering a warm smile, but she subconsciously shifted closer to Light at the same time, making L's glower even darker.

"Hi," he muttered, storming pass them and over to the nearest chair and computer, dropping his bag on the way. His annoyance was so apparent that the team didn't even greet him as he crouched into a chair and turned on the computer.

Light suddenly lost his temper. He stomped over to the detective and lightly slapped him in the back of the head.

"Ow! Dammit Light!" L turned to glare at the teenager.

"What's wrong with you?!" Light roared.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Kira," L bit off venomously.

Light staggered back, and Kagome proceeded to approach L.

"Come with me, Ryuuzaki."

"No," L bristled. "I don't feel like it."

Kagome withdrew, here eyes wide with surprise. His anger reminded her of something….of someone. Her eyes widened a fraction more when she realized what was going on. A small memory fluttered through her mind in quick succession, and she almost had to roll her eyes.

"_Get away from her, you stupid wolf!"_

"_Kagome's mine, you filthy mutt!"_

Kagome bit her lip and stared wondrously at the world's three greatest detectives. _He's jealous! _She thought absurdly. _But why would he be…? _She glanced at Light, to whom most of L's rage was directed and recalled the events of the last few days.

"Hey," she suddenly snapped, her own anger fueled. "Take these damn cuffs off."

L dug the key out of his pocket and tossed it at Light.

"Gladly," the teenager muttered.

As he unlocked the cuffs, Kagome continued to stare at L, a whir of emotion overwhelming her mind and body. _What is this? _She wondered briefly, her face paling as several possibilities fluttered through her brain. _It's not possible…is it?_

Watari's voice suddenly rang through the office. "Ryuuzaki, we have a problem."

"What is it, Watari?" L said on a heavy sigh.

"Someone has just torn through the front of the building."

L blinked, not comprehending. "Torn through…what?" He shook his head and cleared his mind so that he could concentrate. "Give me an available feed. And Kagome, bring me that laptop, please - the one on that table. I might need it."

Kagome went to retrieve the laptop, still in awe of her own thoughts, and as she was turning back around, the connection came through on one of the larger monitors in the room. Her eyes fell upon the person who was sabotaging HQ…

And everyone heard a loud crash as Kagome dropped the laptop and it collided violently with the floor. L spun around, ready to snap at her, stopping only when he saw her face. Her brown eyes were huge with astonishment, her mouth was slightly agape, and she was trembling. The team and Light stared at her as well, when a strangled word tore from her throat:

"_Inuyasha?!_"

**AN:// **Mwahahahaha!!! D Bet you didn't see that coming, eh? I didn't have the time to edit mistakes. Sorry.


	9. Chapter 9

*****warning: this fanfic contains spoilers for both Inuyasha and Death Note - No flames please!*****

**AN:// **Well, here we have another chapter for your entertainment my friends! I haven't had much time to reply to your reviews lately, but I still really appreciate them! They are like a drug for me, most of them being so hilarious that I just laugh until I can no longer breath. Anywho, I will show my gratitude with this new chappy! I know a lot of this fanfic is coming off as cliché, but I am mostly just concerned with actually finishing Beyond the Glass. I also don't think I'll have the time to write a sequel, so you may be getting a happy ending after all. Hooray! Last thing I have to say is that I hate my own sloppiness up to this point. I noticed so many flaws in this fanfic that I simply wanted to gag (like the fact that there were so many stupid reasons that L would have been killed by now - mainly due to Misa and her shinigami eyes, which no one pointed out to me…O_O). Where have my writing skills flown? Out the window? They must have. I apologize. (

**Disclaimer: (I had to reupload because of this! I can't believe that I forgot!!) Death Note and Inuyasha do NOT belong to me!**

_No quote this time._

_I doubt anyone reads them anyway._

_By the way, pairing is still L x Kagome._

_You may now squeal, you crazy fan girls._

_*plugs ears*_

_I suddenly remembered to remind you all that the handcuffs are off in this chapter. There is a sad lack of kinkiness. You have my permission to express your disappointment._

**Inuyasha**

Kagome gawked at the huge screen, quite unable to believe what she was seeing as a torrent of emotion welled up within her and threatened to spill violently into the open. She clutched her shirt, the thin cloth warm with the heat emanating from her body as she felt her heart pounding violently in her chest. She didn't know what to do. Her first instinct had been to run, run like hell into Inuyasha's arms, to hang on for dear life and never let go, but something was holding her back, something surrounding the peculiar man who was crouched in a swivel chair several feet away.

The priestess gulped, entirely uncertain. What was she to do? It had been so long since she'd seen Inuyasha, but could she run to him like she had in the past? Living in the modern era had reconstructed her way of thinking. She was independent now, quite able to take care of herself, yet recently she had learned how much independence was overrated. She was being a hypocrite, so what? So even if she did want to run to him, why didn't she? She loved Inuyasha, right?

Yes. That fact was undeniable.

But there was more now, something or some_one, _in the modern era that she had developed an attachment to. Perhaps even more than just one person. There was her brother, Souta, whom she could not possibly imagine leaving completely to his own guises. There was now Light, whom she had befriended over the last few days. Finally, there was the great detective L, and the promise Kagome had made to him. She could honestly believe that L had saved her from the loneliness of life, and reminded her that she was useful, and capable of having a purpose after all.

But this was Inuyasha.

She couldn't deny him anything. As he ran through the hallways of HQ in search of her, confused because her scent was spread all over the building, Kagome watched in confusion. It didn't take her long to realize that her eyes had fallen on L; the famous detective would not look her in the eye. If she left to find Inuyasha, she would be betraying him some how. Everything was about to change. So…what was her choice?

It didn't take much to rattle her out of this stupor. All she had to hear was Inuyasha call her name, his desperate plea filling the main room and echoing off of his monotonous walls. She broke beneath the familiarity, as the empty hole in her soul was rapidly healed. Kagome fell to her knees, hot tears pouring from her eyes, as she wrapped her arms around herself and screamed his name:

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyou burst through the nearest door, his mighty blade ripping through the titanium like a knife through butter. She knew that they were all looking at him, judging the boy with dog ears and white hair with untrained eyes. The fools. They knew nothing, and she had somehow forgotten that. Kagome was certain that Kira could not compare with Naraku. Kira was a coward, a bored teenager with a silly notebook, a god complex, and the incentive to bring justice to the world. Naraku had been an evil bastard who wanted nothing more than to toy with people's hearts.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted pointlessly, resheathing tetsusaiga as he sailed across the room in the blink of an eye and coming to stand before her. She looked up at him, unable to believe that he was actually there, physically standing before her. This might have been a dream, and Kagome was assured that there was only one way to be sure. She opened her mouth slightly, before uttering an incriminating word, "Sit."

Inuyasha's face twisted expectantly, and his body was unnaturally slammed onto the tiles of the floor. Kagome shook as he looked up from this seemingly painful position and glared at her.

"God dammit, Kagome! I came here to get you and this is the thanks I get!"

"Stupid!" Kagome growled as the hanyou sat up, only to be tackled violently by the girl. "Why did you take so long, Inuyasha?!"

"K-Kagome…" Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her, blushing furiously because he knew they had an audience, but knowing that it was something he had to do for her none-the-less. Besides, it was what he really wanted.

"May I point out," L suddenly interjected, "that this scene makes about as much sense to me as the existence of shinigami."

"I'm right there with you, Ryuuzaki." Light said, his voice heavy with an unnatural amount of emotion. Kagome frowned as she pressed her face against Inuyasha's chest. It had often worried her, over the past few days, that Light was very likely Kira, especially since she'd come to like him so much. Upon seeing Inuyasha, he had managed to let his demeanor slip a little more. Kagome expected L would take advantage of the situation.

Sure enough, the detective said, "Is something wrong, Light? You sound a little concerned."

"Well, of course I am," the clever teenager immediately shot back. "Kagome is clinging to a guy with dog ears and white hair and a freaking impossible sword that can rip through steal. Also, he is the same one she claimed was a cosplayer, one of her friends from that photo she allowed us to see. From what we just witnessed, I believe that it is safe to assume that he is not into cosplay, but something far more complicated."

"Hmph!" The detective remarked childishly, "I simply thought that you were jealous of the supernatural power that he wields so openly."

Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha, practically jerking out of his arms. She glared at the pair. "Whether Light is Kira or not, there is no reason to torment him, Ryuuzaki! And Light, can't you answer a simple question with a simple answer? You two are always provoking each other. It's ridiculous."

"Such things aside," L said flatly, "there are other issues that need to be addressed here, Kagome. Your friend's arrival initiates quite a complex situation for us to conquer. Headquarters is now compromised, seeing as it will need repairs, which requires the efforts of people outside of the investigation team. Also, this friend of yours possesses a disturbing amount of seemingly supernatural power, which has triggered my suspicions related to the Kira investigation. I find it hard to believe that such a powerful person exists who has never had the insight to murder. Lastly, if your friend has no relation to the case, then he is in a lot of danger here, seeing as his surname was just announced rather loudly and repeatedly by you yourself."

Kagome grimaced, having not anticipated this rather insane turn of events. "You think that Inuyasha is Kira?"

L shrugged. "It's a possibility."

"How _much _so?" Light asked with sudden enthusiasm. "Is his percentage perhaps a bit higher than mine?"

L shoved a thumb against his lips and chewed thoughtfully. "Yes, where Light's chances of being Kira have only risen to roughly 7%, this new person's chances are about twice that, for he has shown us that he not only possess an unnatural amount of power, but is also assertive and rather violent."

As Light rushed off into a conversation with L about the case, Kagome rolled her eyes and wondered if it was all they ever did. There they were, rambling and coming up with new ideas, whilst a potentially threatening person was sitting in the center of the room with a path of destruction in his wake, and Kagome an arm's length away.

"Ah, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, his golden eyes shining as he stared into her dark ones. "What are they talking about? Who is Kira? I have no idea what's going on." He sighed and crossed his arms. "And why do I sense a demonic presence in this room? I don't see anything, but it's obviously pretty close."

Kagome frowned and explained, "There's a lot going on here, Inuyasha. There's a shinigami in the room that you can only see if you touch a special notebook. I'll explain it all to you later, but right now I'm more interested in how you managed to get here."

The hanyou shrugged, looking indifferent. "I checked the well every three days to see if you had come back or if the seal would let me through. I checked this morning and I was stunned. It actually let me pass into this era."

Kagome smiled weakly. "I checked a bunch of times over the years, but it wouldn't work for me at all. I actually thought it would open for me again when I graduated from High School, but it didn't…" A sad look overcame Kagome's features, but she pushed it away as a tidal wave of curiosity overwhelmed her. "Tell me everything I missed. I want to know what's happened since I left!"

The hanyou took a deep breath. "Naraku is gone. He disappeared when you did. I sincerely hope that the well letting me through to you again doesn't mean that he's going to come back. Anyway, Sango and Miroku were married. They moved to the village, and have children there now. Shippo has grown a little, and he learned how to hide his demonic features. He's been training in the mountains with some powerful demons. Kohaku is training as a demon hunter, and getting pretty good at it. Kaede's fine. She finally handed off her rights as head priestess to one of the younger women. Kirara's doing well. She stays with Kohaku mostly. And I've seen Koga, Ginta, and Hakaku enough times to make me sick lately."

"What about Rin and your brother? How are they?"

"Rin stayed in the village for a few years and learned a lot from Kaede, but she still is attached to Sesshoumaru's hip. She's starting to travel with him again, and he himself informed me that he might be taking her to his castle to stay. Seemingly, a lot of his underlings have taken to her."

"Ah, excuse me, Kagome?"

Kagome started, so lost in Inuyasha's recollections that she hadn't immediately noticed that Matsuda was hovering over her shoulder. The severity of the situation was suddenly thrown back in the open, and she let an anxious frown overtake her features.

"Yes, Matsuda?" Kagome responded instinctively.

"Well," the nervous man said quickly, "Light and Ryuuzaki are arguing again, and with you and um…your friend talking here the rest of us weren't really sure what should be done. After all, we realize that this is not the best development."

Kagome observed the rest of the team who hovered anxiously around L and Light, trying to get the two to stop arguing so that they could properly assess the problems at hand.

"Right, I'll take care of this." She turned to Inuyasha and smiled. "Things are complicated here. It's probably more dangerous for me to be in the modern era now than in the past."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed. "I always told you that I thought this place was way more dangerous than the one on the other side of the well."

"Yes, well, I didn't believe that until Kira showed up and I saw a shinigami here."

Inuyasha huffed impatiently. "Who is this Kira?"

"Someone who has killed a lot of people and is a genius. There, now stay here a sec." She wandered over to L and Light, ignoring the hanyou's loud snort of annoyance.

"Ryuuzaki. Light." That was all it took for the two to slip out of their argument and fall right into the palms of her hands. As the two geniuses silenced themselves and directed their attentions to her, Kagome rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "This is no time to be arguing over the case. There's a lot to be done now. First of all, we need to get the building fixed and make sure that nothing has been leaked out while we're all sitting here wasting time."

"Watari will have already rectified the situation," L stated dryly.

"Then why the hell didn't you just say that?!" Light suddenly snapped at the lanky detective.

"It was obviously a way in which to test you, Light."

"But that's not-!"

"Enough!" Kagome screeched, eyes aglow with anger. "If that's taken care of, then we can move on to our next problem. I need to inform you all about Inuyasha!"

The noise in the room came to a dead halt. It was a long time before anyone found bravery enough to say anything. And of course that person was L.

"What would you like to tell us, Kagome?"

Her lip trembled. "I need a chair."

"The hell you do!" Inuyasha grumbled, snatching her away from everyone and plopping down on the linoleum tiles in an undignified fashion. Kagome blushed as she was pulled into the hanyou's lap.

"I suppose that should do," Light grumbled, a bit offended by the red-cloaked weirdo's lack of manners.

"We should all sit down," Soichiro Yagami commented, his words more a command than anything. As the team collected chairs and encircled the place where Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting, the young woman contemplated the explanation she was about to give, knowing it might not be believed. Finally, the time came for her to tell the story.

"I don't want to be interrupted," she told them uncomfortably. "And please don't try to accuse me of insanity until I am at least finished saying what I have to say. Lastly, none of this can leave this room, for my sake and Inuyasha's."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Kagome took a deep breath…and began. She slipped through every twist and turn of her story with utter precision, leaving no detail unspoken. Inuyasha occasionally interrupted to throw in something she had missed. Finally, she told them about the end, when she had wound up back in the present, leaving her lover in the past, never able to see him again.

"Until now that is," Inuyasha whispered warmly, making Kagome blush deeply. He had grown so bold! Perhaps their separation had allowed him to become more mature. Whatever the case, this was a side of the hanyou that Kagome didn't know how to deal with yet. Embarrassedly, she addressed L with her eyes, surprised when the detective met hers levelly, a mischievous light glinting there that she'd never seen before. She glanced to L's left, and saw that Light was watching L with equal interest. The teenager had on a thoughtful expression, but also a knowing one. Apparently, he had seen this particular kind of countenance on L before.

"Ryuuzaki?" Kagome questioned worriedly, her heartbeat rising as she noted the tiny smirk tilting the world's three greatest detectives' lips.

Light flinched visibly before an expression of utter calm and careful calculation shrouded his state of being. Kagome trembled a bit at the sight, for it was in moments like these that she definitely had to agree with L in his assumptions that Light Yagami was the famed mass murderer.

"I'd be careful, Kagome," Light warned. "L has his game face on."

Kagome might have been able to stand that thought if Inuyasha hadn't suddenly dumped her on the floor and lurched to his feet. She stiffened and her eyes widened when she heard him slide the tetsusaiga from its wooden sheath. When she looked up, the sword's deadly point was bare inches from L's nose. It was all the encouragement she needed to feel a wave of anger and fear wash over her, giving her reason to scream one violent word:

"Sit!"

And the loud sound of Inuyasha's body slamming into the floor for a second time that day was just a precursor to what was surely to come.

**AN:/// **I felt that you guys totally deserved an update. Sorry for the week long gap in between. Neeyah. X3

Read and Review! But please, no flames!! :3


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: Contains spoilers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, Inuyasha, or any of the characters from either.**

**AN:// **_Some mature language in here. You have been warned. Thought I'd give you all a little update, ya know?_

**For ****XXXAnneBoleynXXX****, because your review made me grin and finish this chapter - thank you! 3**

_***_

**The Inevitable**

*****

"Oh my God, Kagome! That guy is a total fucking pervert!" Inuyasha caterwauled as they made way to Kagome's floor of the building. "I mean, did you see how he smiled at you? Ugh!"

Kagome grimaced. "That's just Ryuuzaki, and he's my friend. You didn't have to threaten him like that. Don't do it again."

"Who the hell said that you could boss me around? I'll do it again if he aims that creepy smile of his at you."

"I'm asking you not to! Don't you have any respect for my opinion anymore?" Kagome stomped her foot childishly. "Just because I've been away from your era for almost five years doesn't mean I've lost my edge. I'm still a miko with extraordinary spiritual powers, and I'm not an idiot."

"What_ever_!" Inuyasha snapped and pressed his palm against tetsusaiga's handle. "But I'm serious, this place isn't safe for you anymore. What's with you hanging out with a murderer like that Light kid anyway."

"Homicidal or not, Light Yagami is still my friend, Inuyasha. How many people do we know who have killed others and are still good people? Hell, you're one yourself, or have you forgotten?"

"I know who the hell I am! And what I've done!"

"Like hell you do! Sit!" A loud bang sounded throughout the building, startling everyone else into dismay. For example, several floors below them, L and Light sat fuming in the main investigation room as the thud sounded overhead. The team wasn't feeling too spiffy either.

"That guy is completely annoying. He has no manners and no sense of propriety whatsoever," Light complained mildly, filing through some old papers for the case.

"I'm in complete agreement with you, Light," the super detective amended tonelessly, typing rather violently at his new keyboard. "His arrival has compromised our entire investigation and Kagome."

"What an arrogant ass."

"Fucking mongrel."

Light frowned and blinked at L. "Ryuuzaki? It's not often that you're complaints are more…well, _graphic _than mine. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm actually feeling rather irritated," L answered shortly. "I'm in no mood to be worrying about this mess right now."

"So we should do something to rectify the situation."

L paused in his furious typing and turned in his chair to stare at Light skeptically, for once appreciating the fact that his best and only friend was indeed Kira. Kagome might have been his friend, but it was difficult to consider her one when their relationship was so obligatory anyway. Yes, Light was L's only TRUE friend, mass murderer or not.

"What sort of thing shall we do, Light?" the detective asked hopefully.

Light smirked evilly. "Let's break them up."

"I do not find that plan objectional," L said hastily. "How shall we proceed in splitting Inuyasha and Kagome apart?"

Light's smirk sharpened, not at all commenting on L's eagerness to separate said hanyou and miko. "Let's make them fight."

"Over what?"

Light grinned triumphantly, and L felt his heart shudder a little. Perhaps, he was letting himself get carried away…

"The question is 'over who?'"

"_Who?"_ L repeated vehemently. He wasn't in the mood for games.

"Over you, Ryuuzaki. Over you."

L could not object to this plan either.

"Shit yeah! Ramen!" Inuyasha celebrated loudly as he tore enthusiastically through Kagome's kitchen cabinets. He then proceeded to argue with the microwave for a full fifteen minutes, before he succumbed to Kagome's wishes and let her show him how to properly operate the confusing machine.

It had been several hours since they had stumbled into Kagome's apartment, after which followed a surprising amount of cuddling from Inuyasha. He seemed to have grown bolder over the years. Kagome didn't try to resist. She couldn't, after all. She loved the idiot. Right? That train of thought was evading her. She was afraid of the answer.

As Kagome and Inuyasha settled into her sofa with two bowls of ramen, she flipped on the television and let Inuyasha coo in amazement at some phony soap opera that was playing. She nearly laughed when Ryuga Hideki took the screen, remembering that L had once told her he had used the pop idol's name as an alias to fool Light. Ah….L. The detective had been lingering over her thoughts since before Inuyasha had arrived. He seemed uncharacteristically cold today, which made marginal sense. After all, she had promised to help him catch Kira, but instead had compromised the entire investigation through Inuyasha's overbearing antics.

This was why she was more than a little surprised when there was a loud knock on her door. Not at all hesitant, she proceeded to let her visitors in, biting back a surprised expression when Light sauntered in with L in tow.

"I see you've reattached the handcuffs," she stated observationally. "Good call."

"It was necessary," L told her, waving a finger as Light glowered. "Light made some observations earlier that raised my suspicions a little. Despite all of this nonsense with your feudal boy toy, I have important work to do."

Kagome's eye twitched at the declaration. _Did he just call Inuyasha my boy toy? And why are my problems nonsense, when he considers his ridiculous relationships completely sound. I practically saved your life, L!_

"Ryuuzaki, you're being rude!" Light snapped, irritated. "Sorry, Kagome. He's been grouchy all day."

"It's okay," the priestess huffed. "I suppose he's just jealous that one of his friends isn't paying enough attention to him."

"I never said that you were my friend, Kagome."

"Don't be stupid, L. Of course, I am your friend."

"-Kagome!" L began to protest.

"Kagome!" Light said at the same time.

"Damn! Shut the hell up! I'm trying to watch the magic box!" Inuyasha growled from his place on the couch, then proceeded to slurp up some more Ramen. Kagome distinctly heard him mutter, "_Damn human brats_!"

"What did I do?" Kagome snapped at her companions, ignoring Inuyasha's grating tone. "_Oh! _I get it, I said Ryuuzaki's secret name, didn't I? What's so bad about that?"

"The building is compromised thanks to your little doggy friend!" Light growled. "You should have more respect for Ryuuzaki. All of a sudden, tall, dark, and irritating shows up, and then everything goes wrong. This isn't a Zoo, Kags! It's the headquarters for the Kira investigation!"

"Don't you think I _know _that!"

"What the _fuck_ is that smell?"

Light jumped as Inuyasha popped up behind him, Ramen-less and with his nose working madly at the air. Then hanyou leaned closer to Light and took a good wiff of his shirt.

"Smells like a demon - _no_, a shinigami," Inuyasha commented dryly. "That's not a good smell either."

As Light's eyes widened, L pressed a finger against his own lips and smiled madly. "What an interesting turn of events, Light," the detective said smartly, quickly distracted from their original plan.

"God dammit, Ryuuzaki!" Light growled. "Focus on the task at hand."

"But if what he says is true, then I'd say your percentage is bound to rise by ten percent at least. How fascinating." Light shot L a warning look, before dragging the detective violently forward so that he could hiss into his ear. "Whether I am Kira or not is not the issue right now, Ryuuzaki! Inuyasha is!"

"I can hear you," Inuyasha growled angrily, but was brilliantly ignored.

"Sorry, Light." L apologized, biting down onto his thumb. "I'm being immature, I know."

Light sighed and tugged L forward. They came to stand in front of Inuyasha, blocking the hanyou from Kagome's view.

"Inuyasha," Light said darkly, "L has something to tell you. Something important."

L nodded and yanked his thumb from his mouth, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving the hanyou the most unnervingly blank expression that he could muster. "Kagome won't be leaving this building. So don't get any ideas."

"Hey-!" Kagome began to protest from behind them, but Inuyasha was quicker and louder than her.

"What the fuck are you saying you creep! Why can't she leave?!"

L inhaled sharply before admitting in his flattest, most monotonous tone, "Because Kagome is mine."

"WHAT?!" Kagome squealed, her jaw falling open as Inuyasha growled and flexed his claws threateningly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" The disgruntled hanyou practically screamed.

"Ryuuzaki!" Kagome was flustered, her face red from embarrassment and shock. "What do you _mean_?!"

L shrugged and turned a little so he could smile at her. "You are a beautiful, intelligent young woman, Kagome, and you also possess an immense amount of power. You were also very kind to me, a stranger, when you had no need to be. I have determined that my feelings for you are romantic, rather than friendly. Kagome Higurashi, I love you."

Kagome deflated, her arms falling lax at her sides and her shoulders drooping. Her eyes were wide with astonishment, her mouth agape. _Doesn't he know that I can't just-! _She grimaced suddenly and straightened.

"I love Inuyasha," she affirmed.

"I think you are incorrect. You feel obliged to Inuyasha for protecting you for so long. The love you once possessed for him has dwindled, however. There may have been a time when you truly loved him, but now that is no longer true. Now I suspect that you have developed feelings for me." L smiled adorably and Kagome blushed. Then his little grin fell, and he said mournfully, "Though I suspect that Light may also like you."

Kagome turned her wide eyes on the teenager, who shrugged nonchalantly. "She's a good friend, but that's all. Besides, with Misa around, I couldn't like her if I wanted to. The crazy blonde is rather possessive of me."

"Now hold up just one damn minute!" Inuyasha suddenly said, tired of being ignored. "Kagome is mine!" Just to prove it, the hanyou jumped over their heads to land next to Kagome to wrap an arm around her middle and pull her tightly into his side. "I've waited for almost five years to see her again!"

Kagome flushed guiltily and looked at the floor. "Inuyasha…" she said in warning, suddenly recalling many unpleasant occurrences from her past. Her recollections of Kikyo and Inuyasha's little rendezvous were still fresh in her mind. She thought, _If Kikyo were still alive, then Inuyasha would have left me to be with her. _That was enough to make Kagome shudder.

L smiled at her distress, thought felt slightly guilty for it. "She seems uncertain."

"What?" Inuyasha frowned at the miko in his grasp. "Kagome?" She slowly lifted her head, so that she could look him in the eye, where his thoughts were suddenly reflected. The young woman sighed unhappily as a familiar sadness flickered through Inuyasha's golden orbs. _He's remembering Kikyo. He'll always be thinking of her when he's with me. Always…_

"I don't want to go back." Kagome suddenly said, and Inuyasha let go of her and stepped back, horror replacing his melancholy countenance.

Throat dry, he stuttered, "Y-you don't love _him, _do you?!"

Kagome slipped a glance at L, who smiled warmly. "I love you, Kagome. If my feelings are returned, then I'd be quite happy," the detective sighed.

Light frowned. L would be happy…that wouldn't be a good thing for Kira, right? He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Why was everything always so complicated?

"Maybe," Kagome finally answered, recalling a familiar sensation in her stomach akin to fluttering. "I might. But Inuyasha, I don't know if I can be with you again. When you look at me, you're always sad. I don't want to be unhappy with the person I love. And at this point, I can't say that Ryuuzaki is wrong…"

"But what about the others?" Inuyasha rasped desperately. "What about them?"

Kagome smiled tiredly and shrugged. "I love them all, but I don't think I belong with them. Inuyasha, in the time beyond the well there is no place for me. I just don't fit."

"Like a random puzzle piece!" L declared idiotically, and Light rolled his eyes and slapped him warningly on the shoulder.

"Sometimes, I doubt that you are L," he growled under his breath.

L smirked. "Ah, but you know better than that now, don't you Kira?"

Light's brow furrowed. _I am Kira. _He glanced up at Inuyasha again, and titled his head to one side thoughtfully. _I wonder if the Death Note works on hanyous._

"I'm not Kira," he suddenly breathed, tossing the idea aside. It would just make him look more suspicious. Probably.

"Either way," the detective mumbled. "We have quite a situation on our hands here."

They both turned to stare at Inuyasha, who was making up excuses 90 miles a minute just to get Kagome to change her mind. Meanwhile, the miko stared mournfully at her love from five years ago and tried defiantly not to cry.

So she was finally letting him go…

And turning towards the inevitable.

His name was L.

**AN:// **_Corny as hell, I know. But I really felt like I needed to accomplish something with this chapter. ^^ Tell me what you think! __J _


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